Joseph D'Amico
Baltimore Orioles vs. Kansas City Royals
Play: Kansas City Royals
I know Kansas City is in last place in the AL Central; however they seem to be a different team when playing at home. They are just one game under .500 at 28-29 when hosting this season and today they come home after a 7 game road trip. The team has won 3 of their L4 and 8 of their L11 overall. The offense ranks 11th in scoring with 4.42 RPG, 4th in BA at .267, and 2nd in SB's with 106. Melky Cabrera and Alex Gordon are both batting over .300 and have combined for 264 hits. The team has 4 batters with 100 plus hits. They are positing 5.5 RPG in their L10 outings. Today, Bruce Chen gets the start. The LH is 5-4 on the season, including a win over Baltimore back on May 5th in which Chen went 7.0 innings, giving up just 5 hits and 1 ER. Chen has faced the Oriole's 3 times in the last few seasons with his team going 3-0 behind him. He faces the AL's worst team in Baltimore. The Oriole's are 42-63, including a dismal 16-35 road record. They have lost 3 in a row and 7 of their L10. The offense is averaging 4.10 RPG but their pitching is atrocious. They rank 30th in ERA, allowing 4.89 RPG, 30th in Quality Starts with just 43, and 25th in K's with 698. They lost Cesar Izturis and Brian Roberts early this season and now are without DH Luke Scott. Over their L6 contests, Baltimore has posted a mere 2.8 RPG. Today, Alfredo Simon goes to the hill. The RH is 2-4 this year, including a 0-3, 6.41 ERA mark on the road. The O's are 35-73 their L108 games played vs. LH starters, 2-5 in Simon's L7 starts, and 18-40 their L58 road games. The Royal's are 4-0 as a favorite of -110 to -150, 8-1 in Chen's L9 home starts, and 4-1 their L5 at home. Take Kansas City.