Mike Wright (2-4, 5.19 ERA) and Danny Duffy (7-7, 4.17 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Baltimore Orioles (67-72) and the Kansas City Royals (83-56) at Camden Yards. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Friday, Sep. 11 and can be seen on FSKC and MASN.
Wright pitched 4.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering three runs, striking out four and walking one in a 5-1 defeat to the Blue Jays. Chris Davis (.260, 81 Rs, 41 HRs, 104 RBIs, 2 SBs) had another good game Wednesday, going 2 for 2 with two RBIs. Duffy went 7.0 innings, surrendering four runs, striking out seven and walking two in a 6-1 defeat to the White Sox in his last outing. Lorenzo Cain (.312, 89 Rs, 14 HRs, 65 RBIs, 27 SBs) went 1 for 3 Wednesday with one RBI.
The odds for Baltimore and Kansas City are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Orioles are one of the best in the MLB in terms of home runs with 184. Baltimore’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 5.8 runs per game, well above its season average of 4.2. The Orioles are the fourth-best team in the AL at limiting walks during home games, allowing only 2.4 walks per game to their opponents this season.
The Royals are an excellent base stealing team with 93 stolen bases, ranking fifth in the MLB. The Royals allow 3.8 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 5.3 runs per game during that span. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Royals are fifth in the AL with an average of 8.4 hits allowed per game.
The Royals lead the season series, 3-1. The Orioles have an 18-18 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Duffy takes the mound. Wright (RHP) will be on the hill against the Royals, who have a very good 57-32 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Kansas City is 32-19, while Baltimore is 24-23.
The Royals managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Orioles who are heading in with a 10-8 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Orioles are 49-13. The Royals have a 65-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling in the top 10 of the league based on total runs this season, Baltimore ranks ninth with 604 runs and Kansas City is sixth with 616.
Ranking 30th, Kansas City is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 313 this season. Baltimore ranks near the bottom at 25th with 342.
The Orioles are 60-38 when they hit at least one home run. The Royals perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 57-24 record.
