After taking the last two ballgames versus the Red Sox and winning two of three against the Yankees, the Orioles have won four of their last five against their in-division rivals and carry that momentum into their three-game clash against their new-era rivals, the Kansas City Royals.
The Orioles (32-23) are now tied for first in AL East with the Red Sox (33-24) but own a slight advantage in winning percentage and still have two games in hand on their arch-rival Sox. After their latest five-game tear, the O’s boast the second-most home wins in the majors (21) and are tied for the fourth fewest home losses in the league (11).
The Royals (30-26) have had a roller-coaster of a season through the first third of the campaign. After rattling off six straight wins and standing two games above the White Sox for first in the division, they subsequently suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field over the weekend. As a result, the Royals’ record away from “The K” stands at a woeful 11-19 on the year, but KC still comes into Baltimore in second place in the AL Central and 1.5-games back from the Indians (31-24).
Now, let’s take a look at the projected starters:
Mike Wright (2-3, 5.88 ERA) will take the mound on Monday night against southpaw Danny Duffy (1-0, 3.44).
Wright’s recent dreadful three-game stretch in which he has posted a 7.82 ERA resulted in a demotion to Norfolk, but the 26-year-old was quickly sent back to Birdland after Darren O’Day landed on the 15-day DL with a hamstring pull.
Wright will be looking to force his way back into the rotation with a strong outing after losing his place by allowing six runs on seven hits over just 2.2 innings versus Boston.
He’ll have to do that against a team that tagged him for five runs on eight hits over 6.1 innings in a 6-1 loss on April 24th. In two starts, Wright owns a 0-1 record with a 7.15 ERA against Kansas City.
Duffy, 27, boasts a 2-1 record and an impressive 2.25 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in six games (four starts) versus the O’s and has held the O’s sluggers to a .172 batting average. In two starts against Baltimore last season, the California native posted a 1-0 record with a 3.52 ERA and 13 Ks over 10.2 innings.
Ubaldo Jimenez (2-6, 6.59) is set to face flamethrower Yordano Ventura (4-3, 4.82 ERA) in Tuesday’s match-up.
Jimenez’s form has been at an all-time low as of late, but he did show signs of a bounce back in form Thursday, shutting out the Red Sox over five innings before getting tagged in the sixth. Here’s to another hopeful step forward for the veteran…and I’m hoping I didn’t just jinx it.
In 12 outings against the Royals, the 32-year-old Jimenez owns a 4-5 record with a 4.79 ERA. In his last start versus KC on August 24th, 2015, Jimenez allowed seven runs on ten hits over 5.2 innings with one walk and three Ks in the O’s 8-3 loss.
The O’s have had a tough time against 25-year-old flamethrower Ventura. In five outings versus the O’s, the Dominican fire-baller has posted a 4-1 record with a sparkling 1.91 ERA and has silenced O’s hitters to a .220 batting average. In his last start versus Baltimore in a 6-1 win on April 24th, Ventura allowed just one run on three hits over seven innings with two walks and four Ks.
Orioles ace Chris Tillman (7-1, 3.33) will get the nod against Edison Volquez (5-5, 4.03 ERA) in the series and home stand finale on Wednesday night.
Versus Kansas City, the 28-year-old Tillman has posted a 2-3 record and a 6.25 ERA over seven starts. In his two starts against the Royals last season, the Anaheim native went 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA over 11.1 innings.
Volquez, 32, is winless in four starts versus Baltimore in his career, going 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA. However, the former All-Star hasn’t faced the O’s since being a member of the San Diego Padres back in the 2013 season. On August, 6th, 2013, the Dominican native allowed two runs on six hits over six innings with two walks and six strikeouts in a 4-1 defeat to the O’s.
It’s no secret that the O’s offense has been the main catalyst to their early season success, ranking sixth in the AL in runs per game (4.7), tied for sixth in batting average (.260), fourth in OBP (.325) and third in homers (80). What’s even more obvious is that the Royals lack of offense has hindered the reigning champions in the early stages of the campaign.
Kansas City comes into Baltimore tied for second in the AL in team batting average (.268), but despite Eric Hosmer (.321, 12 2B, 10 HR, 35 RBI), Lorenzo Cain (.297, 7 2B, 8 HR, 34 RBI) and Salvador Perez (.279, 12 2B, 7 HR, 25 RBI) putting in their best efforts, the Royals rank 13th in runs per game (4.0) and dead last in home runs (47).
Losing Mike Moustakas to a season-ending ACL tear certainly didn’t help their cause, and with Alex Gordon currently on the 15-day DL with a wrist injury, the Royals line-up is looking a bit hindered at the moment.
But if you’re into “The Battle of the Bullpens,” you’re in for a treat.
The Orioles’ outstanding bullpen, led by Zach Britton (1.11 ERA, 17 saves), Brad Brach (5-0, 0.91 ERA) and Mychal Givens (5-0, 2.05 ERA) comes into the upcoming series as the second-best bullpen in the majors with a sparkling 2.76 ERA.
So, who owns the only bullpen in the league that’s been better?? The KC Royals, of course.
The Royals boast a quartet of intimidating arms in their stable. 30-year-old All-Star Closer Wade Davis (16 saves, 0.89 ERA) leads the pack, followed by their trio of stellar set-up arms in 26-year-old All-Star Kelvin Herrera (28 games, 15 holds, 1.33 ERA, 11.3 K/9), 32-year-old Luke Hochevar (10 holds, 2.82 ERA, 0.85 WHIP) and two-time All-Star Joakim Soria (10 holds, 2-2, 3.81 ERA).
The Orioles will be looking to get revenge against the AL Central foes after dropping two of three versus the Royals at Kauffman Stadium back in April. However, the visitors own a slight 18-15 advantage over the O’s since the start of the 2012 season.
The current-champion Royals also own a 22-15 record versus the O’s in that time span if you count that forgettable 2014 ALCS.
But enough about that; the past is the past.
Here’s to getting even with the Royals, banking yet another series in the win column and hitting the road on a high note!
