The Kansas City Royals (18-46) are on the road to face the Baltimore Orioles (40-24) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sunday with the home team in position to sweep the three-game series.
The Orioles lead the series 2-0 after winning 6-1 on Saturday, their fourth head-to-head victory in five games this season. Cole Irvin went 5.1 innings, giving up one run on six hits, to get the win.
Anthony Santander went 3 for 4 with two doubles, two runs, and one RBI in the win. Ryan O’Hearn added a double and one RBI. Edward Olivares was 3 for 3 with two doubles and one run for the Royals.
ON THE MOUND
Righty Kyle Gibson (7-3, 3.87 ERA) will toe the rubber for Baltimore. He has made one prior start against the Royals this season, giving up six runs over 6.2 innings in a 6-0 road defeat on May 3.
He gave up 10 hits with no walks and no strikeouts in the loss. In his last start on Tuesday, Gibson took a no-decision on the road against the Brewers.
He threw five innings and gave up two runs on five hits, striking out seven and walking two in the 4-3 defeat. The right-hander is tied for fourth in the AL in wins.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Kansas City has averaged only 2.2 runs a game, down from their season average of 3.8, while slashing worse across the board (.204/.251/.287). Against righties like Gibson this season, the Royals have a .657 OPS, the third lowest in the league.
Salvador Perez is the team’s best hitter against right-handers with a .870 OPS in 163 at-bats. Baltimore is averaging only 4.0 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.9 for the season.
HOME AND AWAY
Kansas City is on a six-game losing streak on the road, bringing their record to 9-23 in 2023. The Royals have scored 3.3 runs per game away from home while allowing 4.8 runs.
Baltimore has gone 19-12 at their home ballpark this season, averaging 4.3 runs per game while surrendering 4.3. Baltimore is 7-3 in the last 10 games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards between the teams with an average scoreline of 4.9-3.3.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Royals are fifth in the AL Central, 13 games behind the division-leading Twins. The Orioles are second in the AL East, six games behind the Rays.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Baltimore Orioles (-185)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
