Royals and Orioles meet, winner claims 3-game series

Baltimore Orioles (20-10, second in the AL East) vs. Kansas City Royals (8-23, fifth in the AL Central)

Kansas City, Missouri; Thursday, 2:10 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez (1-0, 4.07 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 34 strikeouts); Royals: Jordan Lyles (0-5, 5.86 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 27 strikeouts)

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Orioles -168, Royals +143; over/under is 9 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: Both the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles are looking for a series win with a victory on Thursday.

Kansas City has a 2-13 record at home and an 8-23 record overall. The Royals have a 6-3 record in games when they scored at least five runs.

Baltimore has an 11-6 record on the road and a 20-10 record overall. Orioles hitters have a collective .427 slugging percentage to rank 10th in the majors.

The teams square off Thursday for the third time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Vinnie Pasquantino leads Kansas City with six home runs while slugging .549. Salvador Perez is 12-for-36 with three home runs and nine RBI over the last 10 games.

Ryan Mountcastle leads the Orioles with 16 extra base hits (eight doubles and eight home runs). Jorge Mateo is 9-for-34 with a double, three home runs and six RBI over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 3-7, .256 batting average, 5.36 ERA, outscored by 12 runs

Orioles: 7-3, .284 batting average, 4.55 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs

INJURIES: Royals: Kris Bubic: 60-Day IL (flexor), Nicky Lopez: 10-Day IL (appendicitis), Diego Hernandez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Drew Waters: 10-Day IL (oblique), Daniel Lynch: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jake Brentz: 60-Day IL (elbow), Angel Zerpa: 60-Day IL (shoulder)

Orioles: Mychal Givens: 15-Day IL (knee), John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow), Dillon Tate: 15-Day IL (elbow)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.