Listen Live: Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles [Audio] MLB
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
The Baltimore Orioles and the visiting Kansas City Royals are both battling for supremacy in their respective division as they take the fight to each other Monday to open a three-game series. Kansas City squandered the top spot in the American League Central while dropping four straight at Cleveland over the weekend to begin its 10-game road trip.
The Royals went into Cleveland on Sunday with a 2 1/2-game lead over the Indians in the division but left on Sunday 1 1/2 back after being outscored 25-6 in the sweep. Kansas City managed three hits in Sunday's 7-0 loss and fell to 11-19 on the road with six games left on a trek that also includes three contests against the Chicago White Sox. The Orioles had their own problems on offense Sunday until a rain delay helped the team find its form. Baltimore trailed 1-0 before the delay but pounded out three runs in the eighth against Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman to earn a 3-1 victory over the New York Yankees and move back into a virtual tie for first place in the AL East with the Boston Red Sox.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals LH Danny Duffy (1-0, 3.44 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Mike Wright (2-3, 5.88)
Duffy is making his fifth straight start since returning to the rotation and is trying to pick up back-to-back wins. The 27-year-old allowed three runs and seven hits over six innings to pick up a win over Tampa Bay on Wednesday in his longest outing of the campaign. Duffy, who is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in six career games (four starts) against Baltimore, has 40 strikeouts and seven walks in 36 2/3 total innings.
Wright was bumped from the rotation and sent to Triple-A Norfolk after getting rocked for six runs on seven hits – four home runs – in 2 2/3 innings at Boston on Wednesday but found himself back on the Orioles roster when Darren O'Day went on the disabled list with a hamstring injury the next day. Wright is likely just keeping the rotation spot warm until Yovani Gallardo (shoulder), who is making a minor-league rehab start on Tuesday, is able to rejoin the rotation. Wright was ripped for five runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings to suffer a loss at Kansas City on April 24.
WALK-OFFS
1. Orioles C Matt Wieters recorded seven RBIs in his last four games.
2. Kansas City DH Kendrys Morales is 1-for-15 with four strikeouts in the last four games, dropping his batting average to .191.
3. Baltimore C Francisco Pena is 4-for-7 with a home run and three runs scored in his first two games this season.
PREDICTION: Royals 8, Orioles 4
