Coming into their eighth series of the new season, the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals were among the worst teams in the league at the plate.
So, it’s only natural that the two clubs scored a combined 37 runs on a combined 59 hits across the three-game stint, including a thriller on Monday that saw Baltimore and Kansas City combine for a whopping 10 runs in extra innings.
The O’s first series victory since defeating the San Francisco Giants on April 12 was anything but normal.
Baltimore began its madness with a 7-5 victory over Kansas City on Monday. Don’t let that final score fool you, the first three quarters of the game were an excruciating watch for fans in both corners.
The Orioles batted an abysmal 1-for-23 (.043) in the first eight innings of the game. Meanwhile, Kansas City’s sluggish offense found rhythm, grabbing 11 hits in the game’s first nine innings, a total they have not reached since April 6. However, the Royals ended the game with a walloping 16 runners left on base.
Down to the team’s final strike, catcher Samuel Basallo came through in the clutch as he barreled a Lucas Erceg fastball into center field for the game-tying RBI single.
Knotted at one run each, the game entered extra innings which saw each offense trade three straight outs in the 10th.
“Who wants to win this game?” you probably asked. Leody Taveras did!
After two consecutive singles and a Weston Wilson walk, Taveras scorched a ball deep into straightaway center for his first career grand slam, which gave the O’s a five-run lead in the 12th inning. The lead narrowed after a two-RBI double from Kansas City in the bottom of the inning, but Baltimore held on for a 7-5 victory, marking the first game they posted seven or more runs since April 13.
Tuesday’s contest saw a much more gut-wrenching result.
Birdland received positive news to start the day after it was announced the team was reinstating catcher Adley Rutschman from the 10-day injured list.
After notching three hits in his final game before being sidelined, Rutschman picked up exactly where he left off on Tuesday. The former first-round pick belted his first home run of the season to give the Orioles a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth inning.
Teams are going to “feel the Rutsch” this season.
But unfortunately, his first bomb of the year was not enough to overcome a Baltimore choke job.
In the bottom of the inning, Rico Garcia entered the game, riding a streak of not giving up a single hit to begin his campaign. His season-long streak was immediately broken as Kansas City second baseman Michael Massey blasted a change-up for a 412-foot game-tying home run. Just like that, it was tied late in the game once again.
That’s when catastrophe struck.
Closer Ryan Helsley entered the game in the ninth aiming to give Baltimore extra inning life once more. But, after two consecutive walks and a wild pitch, Helsley spiked a slider into the dirt that allowed the speedy Maikel Garcia to cross home plate for the walk-off run.
The most Orioles loss ever.
Game three became a rubber match with Baltimore looking to avoid its third straight series loss.
Polar Bear Pete Alonso had the right idea with a two-run homer in the first inning, his third of the young season. The O’s lost the lead over the next five innings, but an offensive explosion in the sixth put them right back in front.
Taveras sprayed a line drive into right field for an RBI single to tie at 3-3. He has driven in 10 runs across the last three series, second only to Jeremiah Jackson, who drove two more runs in on a single to left field in the next at-bat.
With runners on the corners and a two-run deficit, Royals reliever Eli Morgan, who entered the game after Jackson’s knock, went to his slider. We’ll take extra Mayo with that, please!
O’s infielder Coby Mayo, our Player of the Series, demolished the pitch for a towering 452-foot bomb.
Mayo entered the series batting .148 with just eight hits. That quickly changed after the former fourth-round pick crushed Earl Weaver Specials in back-to-back games against the Royals. Mayo drove in six runs and crossed home plate three times himself as he played a pivotal role in Baltimore’s first series victory in 10 days.
Would it be an O’s game without a nice scare after a big inning, though?
Kansas City immediately answered Baltimore’s five run outburst after Carter Jensen and Kyle Isbel each struck home runs of their own. The Royals cut the lead to 8-6 with three innings of play remaining.
Anthony Nunez had other things in mind, slamming the door shut on a potential Kansas City comeback as he earned his first career save. Nunez tossed two strikeouts in the ninth inning of the game, lowering his ERA to 1.46 on the season and handing the O’s a series win.
Baltimore is looking to ride the wave as they return home to face their first AL East opponent of the year, the Boston Red Sox.
Key Takeaways
KC’s bullpen may have been exactly what we needed.
The Orioles’ offense was in a miserable slump heading into Monday’s game. Even throughout the majority of Monday night, they looked as sluggish as ever.
Royals bullpen to the rescue!
Kansas City’s ‘pen allowed a total of nine runs on 12 hits in the series, giving Baltimore a much-needed boost at the plate. Some of the team’s worst hitters were raking, as well.
Mayo was experiencing a severe rough patch ahead of the series, but he smacked two three-run home runs.
Colton Cowser earned his first knock since April 14 with a two-hit afternoon on Wednesday.
Basallo had his best game of the season on Monday and went 3-for-7 with two RBIs in the series.
Take it with a grain of salt. They just faced the worst bullpen in baseball.
But, if the bottom of the O’s lineup can build off of this performance, watch out. The back-end of the order plays such a crucial role in the overall offensive product on a nightly basis.
The starting rotation is becoming a cause for concern.
Baltimore simply cannot afford a starting rotation collapse.
The O’s took two of three, yes, but the team’s starters got absolutely shelled by a Royals offense that had achieved double-digit hits in just one of their 12 games leading up to Monday’s series opener.
Kyle Bradish started things off and, although Kansas City was only able to tack one run off him, he allowed 10 hits—the second-most of his career. The Royals were unable to take advantage of the constant contact they generated on Bradish, but it leaves room for concern.
Similarly, Shane Baz was once again put through the ringer, allowing four earned runs on eight hits. Chris Bassitt ended the series with an almost identical stat line, though he allowed five earned runs on eight hits instead of four.
Imagine if this was not one of the worst hitting teams in baseball.
Imagine Kansas City did not leave 29 runners on base in three games.
The command from Baltimore’s starters is slowly, but surely, becoming an issue.
The Orioles have had really bad Fastball command this year across their entire staff
They have thrown 1,847 Fastballs (4 seam, 2 seam, Cutter)
639 have been called Balls
That’s 34.6%
Which is the 6th highest in the league
— PigTownSports (@PigTownSports) April 22, 2026
Taveras should be locked into the lineup for the foreseeable future.
If this wasn’t obvious before the O’s made their trip to Kansas City, it should be now.
Taveras was responsible for five RBIs, the game-sealing grand slam on Monday and the game-tying single on Wednesday.
The veteran has continuously come up clutch and has simply been an efficient bat. Taveras is slashing a .327/.426/.500 line with 14 RBIs on the year and has easily been one of Baltimore’s most premium hitters.
Considering he is a switch hitter, there should be no reason that the 27-year-old should leave the starting lineup for the foreseeable future.