Orioles now dealing with roster moves and Royals (Pearce on flight to Kansas City)

The Twins staggered into Camden Yards and swept a four-game series. Can the Orioles repeat those moves in Kansas City?

They're 6 1/2 games out of first place in the American League East. They're two games back for the second wild card, with the Angels and Twins now ahead of them.

Adding injury to insult, shortstop J.J. Hardy is headed to the disabled list with a groin injury and will be lost for a minimum of 15 days. Steve Pearce will be activated and reliever Jorge Rondon will be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk after going 3-1 with a 2.42 ERA in 29 appearances.

At least the Orioles are playing a team tonight that owns a 75-48 record, best in the American League, and is 42-20 at home. They've got that going for them.

The Orioles are stepping inside Kauffman Stadium for the first time since being swept by the Royals in the 2014 American League Championship Series, the final out recorded on Oct. 15. They lost four games by a total of six runs.

Darren O'Day was the losing pitcher in the first two games at Camden Yards.

Alex Gordon led off the 10th inning with a home run off O'Day to break a 5-5 tie. The veteran reliever was charged with a second run after walking Salvador Perez and being replaced by Brian Matusz, who gave up a home run to Mike Moustakas.

O'Day faced one batter in Game 2, allowing an infield hit to Omar Infante. Zach Britton let the inherited runner score and one of his own.

The Orioles lost the next two games by identical 2-1 scores and watched the Royals celebrate a trip to the World Series, their own dreams crushed in K.C.

The flashbacks tonight could be blinding.

"As players, it's a new season and everything and we've got to focus on what we're doing this year," O'Day said. "Thinking about last year's not really going to help us much, but we're all humans, too. It's only going to be natural to relive some of those memories, I'm sure.

"I know in year's past when I go to a place where we had some playoff - whether it's a victory or a loss - you can't help but think about it and think about the times. Yeah, I'm sure we'll think about it a little bit."

Manager Buck Showalter thinks the story angle may prove to be over-hyped, judging by his response when I asked whether the ALCS memories would come flooding back.

"I think not as much as people might perceive," he said.

"This time of year, you're running on fumes in a lot of areas, but every team is and that's why it's such a challenge. Those type of things are only kind of good this time of year because of the emotional uplift you get from anything because we kind of feed off the feeling in the ballpark a lot and the feeling of our fans.

"I can't tell you how many times it's been uplifting to come home after, whether it's good times or tough times, guys are a little tired and they have the lift that we get from our fan base, and the challenge that you have on the road that is part of it. And our guys will be ready. Bring it on."

The Royals won the regular-season series 4-3 for the second consecutive year, taking two of three games at Camden Yards and splitting four at Kauffman Stadium.

The teams met in April and May. They had to wait a lot longer for their first series of 2015.

Jeremy Guthrie, having shed his controversial playoff T-shirt, also has been stripped of his starter's status. He was supposed to pitch tonight, but he's been bumped from the rotation and replaced by former Braves right-hander Kris Medlen.

Guthrie is 8-7 with a 5.65 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 23 starts. He's posted a 6.48 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in six starts after the All-Star break.

Medlen missed the 2014 season after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery. His Royals debut came on July 20, the first of his seven relief appearances. His last start came on Sept. 27, 2013, when he shut out the Phillies on two hits over eight innings.

Before his second surgery, Medlen was 34-20 with a 2.95 ERA in 152 games (61 starts) over five seasons with the Braves.

Medlen has allowed four runs and 10 hits in 14 1/3 innings with the Royals, walking five batters and striking out 14. All the runs scored in his first game on July 20 against the Pirates.

Medlen has faced the Orioles twice in relief and allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings, with six walks and three strikeouts. Gerardo Parra is 1-for-3 with a double, Nolan Reimold is 1-for-3 and Adam Jones singled in his only at-bat.

Ubaldo Jimenez is 4-4 with a 4.21 ERA in 11 career starts against the Royals and 2-2 with a 4.78 ERA in five starts at Kauffman Stadium. The current Royals are batting .209 (41-for-196) against him.

Alcides Escobar is 4-for-28 with two doubles, Eric Hosmer is 9-for-26 with two home runs, Mike Moustakas is 4-for-28 with two doubles and 10 strikeouts, Alex Rios is 2-for-20, Infante is 3-for-18 with a triple, Perez is 3-for-19, Kendrys Morales is 4-for-16 with a double and two home runs, Jarrod Dyson is 3-for-9 with a double, and Lorenzo Cain is 6-for-14.

I'm boarding a 7:10 a.m. flight to Kansas City. The flashbacks may include ribs, brisket and baked beans.

Update: Steve Pearce was on my flight to Kansas City.