Looking at how some Orioles match up against Royals

The Orioles are having another workout at Camden Yards today that's closed to the public. Reporters will be allowed inside on Thursday. Wanna have some fun? Ask a bartender to put the National League Division Series game on one of the televisions. Then watch him or her react as though you wanted a kidney. It's on FOX Sports 1, which was my 13th guess. Right after VH1 and ION E. I almost ordered one of the porn channels by mistake. Yes, by mistake. Come on, Major League Baseball, stop airing the games on a channel that you won't find in most hotels. Its the truth. I heard a bunch of beat writers complaining in Detroit that they couldn't watch the game in their rooms. They had to go down to the bar or hit the streets in search of it. One of my fondest sports memories is racing home from school to watch the one-game playoff between the Yankees and Red Sox in '78. Now, you'd only see Bucky Dent's home run if your cable company had MTV 6. And the game would start at 8:37 p.m. - or later if "The Real World Poughkeepsie" ran long. One other thing: "Get off my lawn, kids!" The Orioles and Royals, who open the American League Championship Series on Friday at Camden Yards, are an intriguing mix of similarities and contrasts. They have excellent bullpens and a host of plus-defenders. They haven't been to the World Series since "Punky Brewster" was a hit TV show. But the Orioles are all about the bass. The Royals are more treble. Stay with me here. The Orioles led the majors in home runs, while the Royals finished last. The Royals led the majors in stolen bases, while the Orioles finished last. That's what I'm talking about. Caleb Joseph has been the Orioles' best catcher at throwing out runners, but Nick Hundley caught Chris Tillman's last 14 starts. Let's see how that plays out in Game 1. Tillman can control a running game on his own. In 2013, opposing teams attempted nine steals while Tillman was on the mound and succeeded only once. This season, they attempted four steals and succeeded once. Adam Jones had a big hit before Nelson Cruz's two-run homer in Game 3, and he needed it. Jones went 2-for-11 in the ALDS and is 4-for-37 (.108) with an RBI and 10 strikeouts lifetime in the postseason. Jones is 14-for-46 (.304) with five doubles, a triple and a home run lifetime against James Shields, who figures to start Game 1 for the Royals. He's 5-for-27 (.185) against left-hander Jason Vargas. Jones is a career .267/.317/.460 hitter against the Royals, with eight doubles, five triples, seven home runs and 31 RBIs in 50 games. Nick Markakis is 21-for-71 (.296) against Shields, with five doubles, two home runs and 11 walks. He's 4-for-6 against Yordano Ventura and 2-for-4 against closer Greg Holland. Markakis is a career .288/.357/.424 hitter in 67 games against the Royals, with 15 doubles, seven homers and 42 RBIs. J.J. Hardy is a career .301/.363/.503 hitter in 41 games against the Royals, with eight doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 27 RBIs. He's 5-for-18 (.278) with two doubles against Shields, 8-for-25 (.320) with three doubles against set-up man Wade Davis and 4-for-6 against Ventura. Steve Pearce has never faced the Royals, which is hard to believe. Ryan Flaherty, now the regular third baseman, is 4-for-32 (.125) in 10 games against the Royals. He's 1-for-14 at Kauffman Stadium. Jonathan Schoop is 2-for-16 (.125) in five games against the Royals. Alejandro De Aza is batting .216/.290/.323 in 50 games, with eight doubles, two triples and two home runs. He's 5-for-30 (.167) against Shields. David Lough is 3-for-22 (.136) with seven strikeouts against his former team. Kelly Johnson is 10-for-56 (.179) with two doubles and a home run. He's 2-for-16 (.125) with 10 strikeouts against Shields.