Royals at Orioles
It looked like the Kansas City Royals would be the team receiving the most phone calls from contending teams when they were eight games under .500 on June 9, but things changed quite a bit in the last eight weeks. The Royals held onto all of their key players at the trade deadline on Monday and will try to continue making up ground in the American League Central when they visit the Baltimore Orioles for the second of a three-game series on Tuesday.
Kansas City is staring at free agency for several key players at the end of this season but is primed to make one more run at the postseason with its current core and added Melky Cabrera in a trade over the weekend to provide some veteran depth in the outfield. Cabrera, who also played for the Royals during the 2011 season, made his return on Monday by going 0-for-4 out of the No. 3 spot in the order in a 2-1 setback and Kansas City remained two games behind the first-place Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. The Orioles couldn't seem to decide if they were buyers or sellers and tweaked the edges of the roster by acquiring veteran right-hander Jeremy Hellickson to bolster the back end of the rotation and infielder Tim Beckham to help the team while shortstop J.J. Hardy (hand/wrist) and infielder Ryan Flaherty (shoulder) sit on the 60-day disabled list. The Royals will send Ian Kennedy to the mound on Tuesday while the Orioles counter with struggling Dylan Bundy.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN Kansas City, MASN 2 (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RHP Ian Kennedy (4-6, 4.43 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Dylan Bundy (9-8, 4.53)
Kennedy has not lost since June 5 and snapped a three-start winless streak by holding the Detroit Tigers to one run and three hits over six innings on Wednesday. The California native surrendered three or fewer earned runs in seven of his last eight appearances. Kennedy is seeing Baltimore for the first time this season and is 4-2 with a 3.97 ERA in 10 starts on the road.
Bundy was rocked for seven runs on eight hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings in his last start against Houston on July 23 and got some extra rest following his third poor start in four outings. The former No. 4 overall pick watched his ERA rise from 1.65 in April to 3.92 in May to 5.93 in June and 8.41 in July. Bundy started at Kansas City on May 12 and allowed two runs across six innings but did not factor in the decision.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Orioles placed DH Mark Trumbo (strained rib cage) on the 10-day disabled list on Monday.
2. Kansas City 1B Eric Hosmer is 12-for-22 over his last five games.
3. Hellickson is expected to make his Baltimore debut in Wednesday's series finale.