Clubhouse quotes wrap up a sweep by K.C. over the Orioles

KANSAS CITY - It was just a few days ago that the Orioles swept three straight from Toronto. They stole bases, played some crisp defense and scored 29 runs in three games. Here in Kansas City it was very different.

The team with the second-worst record in the majors swept the team with the worst, with Kansas City winning 9-1 today. It capped a weekend where the Orioles lost twice by blowouts and once on a walkoff in the ninth. So they've had better weekends.

How could they play so well versus Toronto and so poorly here?

"That's the thing, you're going to have some inconsistences with some inexperienced players," manager Buck Showalter said. "They don't need me to remind them about the opportunity or everything that's going on. They're going to show some glimpses and flashes of why you think what could be, but it's that consistency and that reliability that you're looking for."

Added first baseman Chris Davis: "We made a lot of mistakes. I think that was probably the biggest thing that stuck out to me, careless mistakes, things that we've really talked about lately that we really need to kind of hunker down. That's when things start to kind of spiral downward, when you start making those mistakes and give the other team the momentum and give them a chance to score a bunch of runs. It makes it tough on your team."

The Orioles were outscored 23-7 in this series by a Royals team that has won five in a row and seven of eight games. The Orioles have lost seven straight and 13 of their last 15 at Kauffman Stadium. Overall they have lost 11 of 14 and 18 of the last 23. They have lost seven straight on the road where they are 16-53.

At 40-97, the Orioles today became the sixth team in club history with 97 or more losses and this is the most since 98 in 2009. The Orioles have been swept three times in their past four series and 15 times on the year in a series of three or more games.

The Orioles made three errors, two by pitcher David Hess and all three in the third when K.C. scored three to take a 4-1 lead.

"Really four, and we only got charged with three," said Showalter. "We threw the ball wildly. It's a tough error for (Breyvic) Valera, because he's out and the ball hits the runner. So somebody's got to get it. I think they gave the other one to Villar and not David - or they should have. We had a bobble on a double play. We had about three balls right up the middle, we've got to make those plays as pitchers. That's part of mechanics, too, when you're kind of spinning off. You're not in position to field the ball. But, as disappointing as some of the pitching and the defense, we scratched one run off a home run and that's about it."

After pitching to an ERA of 2.19 his previous four starts, Hess today allowed nine hits and five runs (four earned) over four innings and is 3-9 with an ERA of 5.27.

"It's a couple steps forward, and you get a step or two back. It's very frustrating, I'm sure, for him," said Showalter.

Hess was disappointed both in his pitching and his two errors.

"I think the toughest thing is giving them extra bases and extra outs to work with," he said. "That is something that I have prided myself on through the minor leagues and then up here as well is being able to field my position well. I mean, they beat me at that today and going forward that is something we're going to learn from and not let happen again."

Davis went 2-for-3 with two singles today. He's batting .316 (12-for-38) his past 10 games. His average is up to .177, which is its highest since it was .181 on May 11. He's hitting .286 (18-for-63) since Aug. 14.

"Chris has been in a good place for a while, he really has, as far as he's going to have a game that may not look good statistically, but as far as his approach and all the things that we get to see that y'all don't see. He's in as good a place I think as he's been all year. He's been fun to watch," Showalter said.

What has been the difference for Davis in these recent games?

"I think it's just a feel," Davis said. "Obviously, I've been working all year to try and get back on track and really the last couple of weeks, I've been a lot calmer in the box, swinging at strikes, not going out of the strikezone too often, being ready to hit from the get-go and not missing pitches."

But during a weekend between the clubs with the two worst records, Kansas City looked the much better team and now 5 1/2 games separates the teams. They didn't intend to, but the Orioles took a big step this weekend toward securing the top pick in the 2019 draft. Are the Royals that much better?

"No, not necessarily, no," said Showalter. "I think that's all proof in the pudding. Two, three, four years from now, we'll see where everybody is. I try this time of year not to rush to judgment on certain things and this series may have looked that way, but things can change quickly."

The Orioles have started a nine-game road trip going 0-3 and now it's on to Seattle where lefty Josh Rogers (1-0, 5.40 ERA) will make his second big league start tomorrow night against the Mariners righty Erasmo Ramírez (1-3, 6.28 ERA).