It seems almost surreal. The Royals can beat teams like the Tigers and the Indians, but cannot seem to beat the Orioles. That is not to say that the Orioles are a bad team, but come on. This marks the 13th straight lose to Baltimore, no matter what seems to happen.
Ironically, today was a “free gift” day at Kaufmann Stadium. The item; an authentic Kansas City Royals umbrella. As if the club willed rain with that gift. The game saw a 1 hour and 52 minute delay…rain. But that still did not quiet down the bats of the Orioles. They struck first with a 3 run homer by Millar, with 2 outs, in the 1st.
Just like last game, they had plenty of offensive force, just not enough to drive home the runs. They accumulated 13 hits, to Baltimore’s 11, but still fell one run short. The offensive production was spread out well among the lineup too. Just couldn’t finish, leaving 9 runners on base (5 of them in scoring position, with 2 outs. Not like the Kansas City team that started the season so hot.
This is the third straight lose for the team against these Orioles, and they are dropping fast, with a record of 15-21, six games under .500. Although, this only drops them to 3.5 games out of the lead, now shared by Minnesota and Chicago, it places them in a dead tie for last in the division with Detroit.
The only thing that the Royals can hope for now is a win tomorrow to avoid the sweep. Brian Bannister is scheduled to pitch, and the series sweep waits in the balance. With the way he has been pitching, and his capable arm, this might be just what the doctor ordered to get them started fresh, hosting Detroit in the next series here in Kansas City. It would be nice to start that series with at least a win tomorrow, to remind the club what is is like to win.