O's game blog: O's try to end losing streak versus K.C.

As the Orioles (8-27) look to break a seven-game losing streak tonight, they host the Kansas City Royals in the second game of a three-game series and nine-game homestand.

Right-hander Andrew Cashner (1-4, 4.89) will make his eighth start and fifth at home. Cashner went 1-1 with a 2.50 ERA over his first three starts, but over his past four he is 0-3 with a 6.97 ERA. He's allowed 28 hits and five homers over 20 2/3 in those games.

Many of Cashner's stats come up short from his 2017 performance so far but his homer rate is way up. Last season he allowed 0.89 homers per every nine innings to rank second-best in the AL among starting pitchers. This season he is allowing 2.1 homers/nine with nine home runs over 38 2/3 innings. His career rate is 0.9 per nine.

Cashner is walking more batters, going from 3.5 per nine last season to 4.4. His ERA is up from 3.40 to 4.89 and his WHIP from 1.320 to 1.526.

Cashner has thrown just four and 4 2/3 in his past two starts allowing nine earned runs over 8 2/3 innings. In four home starts he is 0-3 with a 5.73 ERA. Lefty batters hit .284 against him and right-handers are batting .244. He yields an average of just .186 when pitching with runners in scoring position. In 2017 he led the majors allowing a .170 average with RISP.

Rookie lefty Eric Skoglund (1-2, 6.84 ERA) will make his sixth start for the Royals. Over 26 1/3 innings he has allowed 28 hits with nine walks, 25 strikeouts and a .269 batting average against. He has given up four runs or more in four of his five starts. In two road starts he is 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA. Skoglund was drafted in round three of 2014 out of Central Florida.

In beating the Orioles 15-7 last night, Kansas City snapped a seven-game losing streak at Oriole Park. The Royals scored 10 runs in the first inning. The Royals' first eight hitters in the lineup reached base, marking the first time in franchise history the club has done that, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The 10-run inning was Kansas City's biggest since the bottom of the first on Aug. 23, 2006 versus Cleveland, which was also a 10-run inning. It was the biggest first inning against the Orioles since they gave up 12 on July 30, 2011 in Game 2 of a doubleheader at New York-AL. The Royals enter play today with the highest on-base percentage (.435) in the first inning, while they're tied with Atlanta for the highest batting average (.357) in the opening frame.

The Orioles have been outscored 50-11 in the first inning. The -39 run differential makes it easily their worst inning, trailed by the club's -13 in the fourth and fifth innings. The Orioles team ERA jumped from 4.95 to 5.24 with last night's loss and that ranks 14th in the AL, just ahead of the Chicago White Sox at 5.25.

Worst first inning team ERAs in the AL:
11.83 - Orioles
7.41 - Seattle
6.62 - Chicago
5.91 - Minnesota

On the farm today: Double-A Bowie broke out of an offensive slump winning 8-2 at Altoona. Right-hander Hunter Harvey allowed five hits and two runs over five innings. He picked up his first Double-A win and his first win anywhere since July 18, 2014 for Delmarva against Hagerstown. Harvey threw 81 pitches, 51 for strikes. Mike Yastrzemski went 4-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI to raise his average to .194.

Lynchburg beat Single-A Frederick 4-3 as the Keys fall to 14-19. Right-hander Ofelky Peralta took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) over two innings.

Lexington beat Single-A Delmarva 7-4 as the Shorebirds fall to 21-11. Cameron Bishop took the loss, allowing three earned runs over six innings to go to 3-2 with a 2.19 ERA.