O's game blog: It's Tillman against Ventura in Kansas City series finale

After their five-homer outburst last night that led to an 8-5 win over Kansas City, the Orioles can split the four-game series with a victory this afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.

The Orioles are now 63-63 for the season, 26-38 on the road, 20-39 when their opponent scores first and 54-16 when they score four or more runs.

The Orioles ended a six-game losing streak with the win Wednesday night. During the six losses, they hit just .225, with two homers, and scored 15 runs. They had seven or fewer hits four times.

On the mound today, Chris Tillman (9-8, 4.51 ERA) makes his 24th start of the season and faces right-hander Yordano Ventura (8-7, 4.64 ERA), who is making his 21st start of 2015.

Tillman took the loss on Saturday versus Minnesota when he gave up four hits and three runs over 6 2/3 innings. He had been 7-0 over his previous 12 starts since taking a loss on May 31. Over his past nine starts, Tillman is 4-1 with an ERA of 2.35, pitching seven innings or more five times. The Orioles are only 5-4 in those games though and are 12-11 in Tillman's 23 starts for the season.

In five career starts against Kansas City, Tillman is 2-2 with a 6.21 ERA, and has allowed eight homers in 29 innings. He is 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA in two career starts at Kauffman Stadium.

The 24-year-old Ventura is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA over his past three starts, with eight walks and 21 strikeouts over 19 innings. He is 4-0 in six starts since July 26.

In seven second-half starts, he is 4-1 with a 4.50 ERA, and in 10 home starts this season, Ventura has a record of 5-4 with a 4.23 ERA. He is 1-1 with a 1.26 ERA in two career starts versus Baltimore. Over 14 1/3 innings, he has allowed just two runs, with three walks to 17 strikeouts.

The Orioles' Chris Davis ended a 10-game homerless drought last night when he connected for a two-run shot in the fifth inning. It was his 35th homer. Over his past 34 games, Davis is batting .298 with 16 homers and 38 RBIs. He has hit 10 homers his past 23 games.

Jonathan Schoop is batting .344 with three homers, 15 RBIs and a .511 slugging percentage, with an OPS of .876 over 24 games this month.

The Royals (77-49) had a four-game winning streak snapped last night. They are 14-5 their last 19 games. They have lost just three times in their past 15 home games and are now 44-21 at home for the season, and 21-6 the last 27 games at Kauffman Stadium.