O's game blog: The homestand begins against Kansas City

Riding some momentum with their latest comeback win on Thursday at Milwaukee, the Orioles open their next homestand tonight at Camden Yards, hosting Kansas City and Toronto for three games each.

The Orioles are 0-2-1 their past three home series, splitting four games with the Los Angeles Angels and losing two of three each to Texas and Cleveland. So, while they are 17-12 at home for the season, they are 4-6 in the three most recent series at Oriole Park.

But the team produced its 21^st comeback win yesterday. They were down 3-0 going into the seventh and scored once that inning, three times in the eighth and twice in the ninth to beat the Brewers, 6-3. Ramón Urías hit a solo homer to right to get the Orioles on the board in the seventh. Anthony Santander’s RBI double in the eighth ended an 0-for-25 slump and was his first hit of the road trip. Then Gunnar Henderson hit a two-run homer to left to give Baltimore a 4-3 lead. It was his second go-ahead homer in the late innings on the road trip, and his seventh on the year. Eleven of Henderson's last 20 hits are extra-base hits. Adam Frazier’s two-run double in the ninth completed the scoring and provided insurance runs.

The O’s offense broke out after scoring three runs or fewer in nine of the previous 12 games. They had scored just five runs the first two games in Milwaukee, and just 16 in the five games at San Francisco and Milwaukee.

The Orioles are now 1-3 their past four series, going 5-7 in 12 games since their 5-1 road trip to Toronto and New York.

O’s starting pitchers have just one quality start over the last seven games and have thrown 5 1/3 innings or fewer in five consecutive games.

O’s pitchers walked just one batter while recording 23 strikeouts the past two games in Milwaukee, and walked eight to go with 39 strikeouts for the three games. That three-game total of 39 is tied for the most in any three-game span in club history joining Sept. 6-8, 1996.

Baltimore pitchers have struck out at least nine batters in seven straight games since May 31 and have fanned at least 11 hitters in six of those seven. The 84 strikeouts during that time are the most in any seven-game stretch in team history. This comes on the heels of 40 strikeouts in six games from May 25-30. 

The Orioles are now 8-6 versus National League teams and 30-18 against American League teams. At 38-24 for the year, they are second in the AL East and 6 1/2 games back of Tampa Bay.

Kansas City (18-44) has the second-worst record in the majors, behind only Oakland, and is playing at a 115-loss pace. The Royals lost two of three at home against the Orioles in early May, but they scored 23 runs on 36 hits in that series. Royals batters hit .330 with a 1.062 OPS that series, hitting eight home runs.

Kansas City has most recently lost three in a row, six of seven and 13 of the last 17.

Righty Tyler Wells (4-2, 3.29 ERA) gets the start for the Orioles, who are 7-4 in his 11 starts. Over his past six games, Wells is 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA and .636 OPS against. He has thrown six or more innings five times this season and recorded three quality starts.

While Wells has allowed 14 homers on the season for a 1.8 homer rate, that rate of allowing the longball is much lower at home. He is 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA at Oriole Park in six games, allowing 0.791 WHIP and 1.23 home runs per nine innings.

The Royals will start lefty Daniel Lynch (0-1, 4.35 ERA), who has made just two big league starts this season while going 2-0 with a 3.98 ERA in five minor league games.

He has thrown 10 1/3 innings for the big-league club, allowing 11 hits and seven runs (five earned) with four walks to 13 strikeouts. Saturday versus Colorado, he gave up six hits and five runs (three earned) over five innings on 97 pitches.

Kansas City drafted Lynch out of the University of Virginia with the No. 34 overall pick in 2018. Baseball America ranked him No. 39 before the 2020 season and No. 25 before 2021.

In 44 career major league starts, he is 8-20 with a 5.27 ERA and 1.586 WHIP.