A new era has arrived in Baltimore. From ownership to the numerous draft picks arriving to the bigs, the Orioles have started to soar.
Winning four of their first six series, the Orioles came to Kansas City, having won the first series, two games to one. These clubs are two of the best teams in baseball record-wise and expected scoring average.
A series that saw 29 runs combined in the first two games, split by the teams, ended with a shutout for the Birds in the rubber game.
Let’s see how the series unfolded, as the O’s ended their season series against the pesky Royals.
GAME 1: O’s 4, KC 9
Facing one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Birds came off their off day and looked flat for a majority of the game.
Dean Kremer threw 5.2 innings of work and 91 pitches (40 for strikes). Though he dropped his ERA, Kremer (L, 0-2) walked three and allowed two hits while giving up three earned runs.
The bullpen didn’t fair much better, as Keegan Akin and Dillon Tate combined to allow six earned runs on a walk and seven hits in just 1.1 innings of work. Mike Baumann pitched a clean inning to end the game and stop the bleeding.
Offensively, the O’s did collect eight hits led by Adley Rutschman’s three-hit night. Rutschman hit his first career grand slam in the seventh, but it was all the scoring the Birds could muster.
The Orioles dropped the game 9-4 to end their four-game winning streak.
GAME 2: O’s 9, KC 7
The streak of not being swept reached 98 series with the Orioles’ victory in game two and assured at least a season split with the pesky Royals.
Corbin Burnes (W, 3-0) continued to be the frontline starter the Orioles needed. Going 5.2 innings, the big righty allowed three earned runs on four hits while striking out four. Burnes became the first O’s starter since Jason Hammel to have a sub 3.00 ERA through his first five starts.
The bullpen nearly blew a seven-run lead, as they gave up four earned runs in 1.1 innings before settling down.
Craig Kimbrel (S, 5) closed the game with a nine-pitch ninth inning. In the process, he moved into a tie for seventh on the all-time saves list with former teammate Billy Wagner.
Offensively, Anthony Santander led the charge, going 3-for-5 with three doubles and two RBIs. Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg all had two hits on the day.
The Orioles pounded out 15 total hits, six of them for extra bases. Rutschman, Mountcastle, Westburg (2), Ramón Urías and James McCann all contributed RBIs for the Birds.
GAME 3: O’s 5, KC 0
Cole Irvin showed up big time, pitching one of the finest games of his career. Swirvin’ Irvin (W, 1-1) would go 6.2 innings, tossing a shutout while allowing four hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
Jacob Webb, Danny Coulombe and Tate rounded up the Orioles’ first shoutout of the year, allowing one hit over the final 2.1 innings.
Offensively, the Baby Birds struck again. Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning to provide the first runs of the game.
Westburg, Mountcastle and Cedric Mullins all collected two hits apiece, and it was Westburg (2), Cowser, Mountcastle and Urías who all collected RBIs on the day.
The Orioles have now won or split eight series in a row against the Royals and have won five of seven series on the young season.
BATTERY ❌️-FACTOR
Our BATTERY ❌-FACTOR for the series was how the Oriole pitching staff would limit the production of Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia, as well as the Royals’ running game.
For the series, Witt Jr. was 2-for-12 (.167 avg) with two runs, while Garcia was 3-for-13 (.231) with two runs, an RBI and a stolen base.
The stolen base was the only one the Royals had for the series, and it was other members of the lineup that had bigger series than Kansas City’s young infield stars.
❌️-FACTOR: SUCCESSFUL ✅️
The Orioles will now head to Los Angeles to face Angels starting tomorrow evening. The Birds finish the season 4-2 against the Royals, winning both series.
The Orioles will send Albert Suárez to the mound to start Monday’s series opener, with first pitch set for 9:38 p.m. EST.
Will the Angles clip the Birds’ wings, or will the Orioles continue to fly high? It all starts tomorrow from Angels Stadium.
What are your thoughts on this series victory over Kansas City? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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