The Orioles get one last crack at building some good feeling before the All-Star break, and they’ll try to do it with the Royals at Camden Yards and rain hanging over the weekend forecast.
Jeremiah Jackson helped keep the homestand from going off the rails yesterday, drilling a pinch-hit, two-run double in the eighth inning to stop the Cubs from sweeping Baltimore. That swing left the Orioles eight games under .500 instead of 10, and it gave them a little more breathing room heading into this final series of the first half.
“Anytime we can carry momentum it’s good,” Jackson said. “Obviously, All-Star break’s coming up, but I think as far as we’re concerned, we’re just ready to play.
I think we’re more concerned with just taking it day-by-day. Yeah, I mean, obviously we want to win them all, so looking forward to it.”
Even with that lift, the Orioles still haven’t strung together a winning streak longer than three games. Andrew Kittredge, who earned his second save yesterday, pointed to the small mistakes that keep showing up at the wrong time.
“I think a lot of it is little things that pop up here and there,” said reliever Andrew Kittredge, who recorded his second save yesterday. “We’ll play a really good game, and then one little facet of a game will kind of derail it at times. It doesn’t consistently seem to be the same thing every time.
“The teams that do the little things really well, with talent, those are teams that go a long way. We’ve got the talent.
We’ve got to do the little things a little bit more consistently, whether it’s not giving up extra bases or taking extra bases or just making routine plays, not walking guys. Little things like that that kind of add up.
In any given night, it doesn’t always seem to be one thing. But those are the kinds of things that I think have been costing us games.”
Tonight’s game No. 95 finds Baltimore 12 ½ games back in the division and four out of the Wild Card, with the Blue Jays and Red Sox both 1 ½ games ahead after Boston’s six-game winning streak.
The matchup on paper gives the Orioles a chance to reset. Kansas City comes in at 38-56, second-worst in the American League and last in the AL Central, with a minus-75 run differential and a 17-30 road record. Baltimore has dominated the matchup at home, going 161-99 all-time against the Royals at Camden Yards, and the Orioles have not been swept by Kansas City at home in 29 straight series.
The Royals did take two of three in Kansas City back in April, but since then both teams have had their ups and downs. Baltimore lost seven of its next 10 after that series, while Kansas City has won three of its last four after dropping nine of 13.
The numbers still lean heavily toward the Orioles. Kansas City is hitting .247, 10th in the majors, but its pitching has been a problem all year.
The Royals own a 4.89 ERA and 1.449 WHIP, both 28th, with a 4.66 rotation ERA and a 5.22 bullpen ERA that ranks 29th. That’s a steep drop from last season’s 3.73 team ERA, the biggest year-to-year jump in the majors.
Bobby Witt Jr. remains the headliner for Kansas City. He’s batting .288/.359/.464 with 20 doubles and 13 homers, and he’s stolen 30 bases in 35 tries.
Baltimore will send Brandon Young out for his 15th start. He’s put together a 3.38 ERA over 77 1/3 innings and has given up just seven home runs, though he hasn’t lasted more than five innings in any of his last three outings. Young has never faced the Royals or any of their hitters.
The Orioles’ lineup has Gunnar Henderson leading off, with Adley Rutschman and Taylor Ward behind him. Samuel Basallo is the designated hitter, Dylan Beavers is in right field, Colton Cowser is in center, and Blaze Alexander is at third base. Jackson Holliday is at second, and his .368 average against Kansas City is his best against any American League opponent.
Ward’s 71 walks are the most by an Orioles player before the All-Star break, topping Ken Singleton’s 70 in 1975.
Baltimore has also made a habit of coming from behind this season. The Orioles have won 51.2 percent of their games via comeback, including three of the last four, which ranks fifth in the majors. According to STATS, that would be their highest comeback rate since 2010, when it was 54.5 percent.
Kansas City will counter with right-hander Luinder Avila, making his ninth start and 18th appearance. He has a 5.05 ERA and 1.587 WHIP in 51 2/3 innings, with five home runs allowed and 31 walks. Since June 1, Avila has made seven starts and allowed one run in five of them, but his ERA spiked to 6.19 on June 12 after he gave up eight runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Astros.
Avila has appeared in 30 major league games and has never faced the Orioles. He also has no history against any of Baltimore’s hitters.
The first inning has been especially rough for him, with a 15.75 ERA that ranks second highest in the majors among pitchers with at least eight innings in that frame. Boston’s Brayan Bello is first at 16.88.
From the minors, Trey Gibson will not make his next start with Triple-A Norfolk because of an illness.
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The bigger question is what happens once he is ready. Baltimore has enough uncertainty around the roster that Mountcastles next step is not just about health, but about opportunity, and there is already a sense that the Orioles could listen if the right trade angle emerges before the Aug. 3 deadline. For now, the club is still waiting on the same thing everyone else is - a clearer picture of when he is back, and what role he would actually have when he gets there. [Read more 🡒]