It’s a new month and a new series for Baltimore Orioles.
They will play their first match in May Friday evening against the Royals of Kansas City visiting.
Orioles had to be better than 12-18 at this stage of the season.
“The good teams are of bad months,” said Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde. “We are really focused on one match at a time, one series at a time. Try winning as many series as possible.”
The Orioles have won three of their last 10 games, with two of those who came during this week’s three -game series with the New York Yankees. It may therefore seem that they warm up, even if their three most recent victories all came by margins to a race.
“Our guys responded, and I hope it’s a springboard for us,” said Hyde. “It was a lot of adversity. It didn’t happen at all. To win a series at home, get a day off and I hope that is how we are going to play in the future.”
The Royals (17-15) should be full of confidence after winning 8-2 Thursday afternoon in Tampa Bay to sweep a series of three games.
Like Orioles, Kansas City is a team that was very tuned in the season, but it did not show much until the Royals won nine of their last 10 games.
The Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals Cuisal Stop has accumulated his 300th career race defeated Thursday in his 501st match.
“He is still 24 years old,” said Kansas City director Matt Quatraro. “For him to be an everyday player for more than three years, this is what is remarkable for me. He learns on the fly at the level of the big leagues and continues to improve.”
Witt has a 22 games striking the sequence, the longest chain of the majors.
Baltimore sends the right-hander Dean Kremer (2-4, 7.04 ERA) to the mound for the opening of the series. He worked in the sixth round during each of his last three departures, but he granted five points deserved in the previous two times.
In four career starts covering 20 1/3 rounds against the Royals, Kremer has a 1-2 file with a 3.98 MPM.
Hyde said the Orioles have punching options for the series with the Royals due to the day of leave on Thursday and another day off on Monday. Thus, Charlie Morton, who has largely struggled other than the release of the Enclosure of Tuesday, will remain in a rescue role at least during the weekend.
The Royals go with the right-hander Michael Wacha (1-3, 3.38 ERA), whose only victory in 2025 came last Saturday when he bleached the Astros of Houston on four strokes in six rounds. Aside from victory, he was remarkable for Wacha because for the first time this season, he succeeded in the sixth round.
Wacha has a 3-2 sheet with an MPM of 5.33 in 12 starts of all time against Baltimore. He sold 11 Home Runs to Orioles in 54 rounds.
The first Orioles base player, Ryan Mountcastle, broke a slip of 0 for 18 with a Home Run on Wednesday evening. Doing it is not launched would be a plus for Baltimore.
“It was difficult for him,” said Hyde. “There is a lot of support around him right now.”
– field level media