In the second of a four-game series between the Kansas City Royals (76-48) and the Baltimore Orioles (62-62) at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium, Danny Duffy (6-6, 4.18 ERA) and Miguel Gonzalez (9-9, 4.73 ERA) take the mound. The Orioles lost the last game 8-3, extending a five-game losing streak. The game starts at 8:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 25 and will air on FSKC and MAS2.
In his last start, Duffy pitched 5.0 innings, giving up four runs, striking out three and walking two in a 4-1 loss to the Red Sox. Lorenzo Cain (.310, 77 Rs, 12 HRs, 56 RBIs, 24 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 3 for 5 with two RBIs. The Orioles were also unsuccessful the last time Gonzalez pitched. He struggled, going 5.0 innings, allowing seven runs, striking out five and walking two in a 15-2 loss to the Twins. Manny Machado (.296, 77 Rs, 25 HRs, 62 RBIs, 16 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Kansas City, a -135 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Baltimore. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at eight runs. The Royals have a winning record of 43-23 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +2,410. They are 5-1 as the favorite over their last 10 games. They have been a terror on the base paths, ranking fifth in all of baseball with 83 steals. Turning to the pitching and defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score runs against the Royals, who allow only 3.5 runs per home game.
Across the field, the Orioles have a record of 22-30 when they are the underdog and are -439 overall with the money line. Baltimore is one of the top home-run-hitting teams in the league with 162 home runs.
The only other game between the two teams went Kansas City’s way. This game will feature Gonzalez (RHP) on the mound against the Royals, who have a 28-12 home and 51-28 overall record when they take on a right-handed starter. The left-handed Duffy will take the mound against the Orioles, who have a 17-12 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
The Royals are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Orioles have a 3-11 record when opponents give up that many walks.
It looks like the Royals have a slight leg up on the Orioles, as the Royals have won their last three games while the Orioles have lost their last five.
When they outhit their opponents, the Orioles are 45-12. The Royals have a 61-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling in the top 10 of the league based on total runs this season, Kansas City ranks ninth with 545 runs and Baltimore is eighth with 547.
Ranking 30th, Kansas City is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 276 this season. Baltimore ranks near the bottom at 26th with 298.
The Royals are 52-20 when they hit at least one home run. The Orioles perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 55-33 record.
