Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
KC	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	9	1
BAL	0	2	0	0	0	5	1	0	—	8	12	2

Shane Baz (4-9, 4.11 ERA) got the ball for the finale looking to build on a shaky last start against the Cubs, while Seth Lugo (3-6, 4.56 ERA) tried to give Kansas City length after his own outing against the Mets got away from him.

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FINAL

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ML

Total

Royals(38-59)

LLLLL

2

+1.5-138+138o9.5-102

Orioles(46-51)

WWWWL

8

-1.5+141-141u9.5+104

Best BetOrioles -154

Postgame

Cashed easily — Orioles' win streak bull point held up in an 8-2 final.

Pregame

Baltimore was the right side here and delivered comfortably, closing out a sweep against a Royals team that's lost five straight and is bleeding talent to the injured list. The Orioles' price reflected a real form gap, not just a coin flip, and Sunday's five-run sixth put it away early.

Neither team's rotation news moved much beyond the mound, but the injury list did plenty of the talking. Kansas City is already without Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic for the year, and losing Maikel Garcia and Kyle Isbel to the IL has gutted a lineup that had nothing to spare. Baltimore's issues are more bullpen-shaped, with Ryan Helsley freshly shut down for elbow inflammation, but the O's found enough offense Sunday that it barely mattered.

Seth Lugo

(4-6)·4.36 ERA

Jul 7 @ Mets

ND

4.1IP

6ER

4K

2BB

94P

07/12 Lineup

Shane Baz

(4-9)·3.98 ERA

Jul 7 vs Cubs

L

6.0IP

3ER

3K

3BB

100P

07/12 Lineup

The finale ended up defined by one inning. Baltimore was scoreless into the fifth before a five-run sixth blew it open, and the O's tacked on another in the seventh to turn a tight game into a laugher. Twelve hits, four different scoring frames, no doubt by the finish.

For the Royals, this is now five straight losses and a season that's spiraling toward a definitive sell-off. Kansas City sits at 38-59, well outside any realistic race, and Sunday's sweep loss was just the latest reminder of how thin the roster has become with Garcia, Isbel, Ragans and Bubic all sidelined at once. There isn't much for J.J. Picollo's front office to salvage here beyond evaluating who's worth shopping before the deadline.

Kansas City Royals

(11)

• 10-Day-ILKyle Isbel (CF) — Isbel will not begin a rehab assignment Tuesday as hoped after feeling soreness in his left foot while running this past weekend, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.07/06
• 10-Day-ILMaikel Garcia (3B) — Garcia (hand) is rehabbing in Kansas City but has yet to resume swinging a bat, and he'll be re-evaluated during the All-Star break, MLB.com reports.07/05
• bereavementStephen Kolek (SP) — The Royals placed Kolek (personal) on the Family Medical Emergency List on Saturday.07/05
• 15-Day-ILConnor Seabold (RP) — The Royals placed Seabold on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right lat strain.07/01
• 15-Day-ILNick Mears (RP) — Mears (shoulder) threw a bullpen Saturday, MLB.com reports.06/29
• 60-Day-ILKris Bubic (SP) — Bubic (elbow/shoulder) received a cortisone injection Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.07/02
• 60-Day-ILCole Ragans (SP) — Ragans underwent UCL repair surgery on his left elbow Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.07/02
• 60-Day-ILCarlos Estevez (RP) — Estevez (shoulder) received an injection Wednesday and will be shut down for the rest of the week before being re-evaluated, MLB.com reports.07/02
• 60-Day-ILJonathan India (2B) — no06/04
• 60-Day-ILJames McArthur (RP) — McArthur (elbow) underwent surgery Friday to help combat continued soreness and inflammation, MLB.com reports.05/25
• 60-Day-ILAlec Marsh (SP) — The Royals placed Marsh (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08

Baltimore Orioles

(8)

• 15-Day-ILRyan Helsley (RP) — Helsley was diagnosed with inflammation around the UCL in his right elbow Saturday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.07/11
• 15-Day-ILKeegan Akin (RP) — Akin will receive a second opinion on his injured left elbow from Dr. Keith Meister next week, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.07/07
• 15-Day-ILChris Bassitt (SP) — Bassitt (back) underwent a minor procedure to have bone spurs removed from his back, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.06/27
• 60-Day-ILFelix Bautista (RP) — Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Saturday that Bautista (shoulder) has been "throwing really, really well" in his bullpen sessions, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.06/29
• 60-Day-ILColin Selby (RP) — Selby plans to receive a second opinion on his right shoulder before continuing his rehab program, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.06/29
• 60-Day-ILRyan Mountcastle (1B) — Mountcastle (foot) did some running Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.06/13
• 60-Day-ILJordan Westburg (3B) — Westburg (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com reports.05/15
• 60-Day-ILZach Eflin (SP) — Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.05/08

Baltimore, meanwhile, heads into the break with real momentum for the first time all year. At 46-51 the O's are still under .500, but four straight wins is new territory for a team that had failed in each of its previous chances to string together a winning streak this season. A sweep of a fading division bottom-feeder isn't a signature statement, but it's the kind of stretch that can change a clubhouse's mood heading into the second half.

Kansas City Royals

(38-59)

Jul 12L@ Orioles2-8

Jul 11L@ Orioles1-6

Jul 10L@ Orioles3-5

Jul 9L@ Mets3-7

Jul 8L@ Mets2-6

Baltimore Orioles

(46-51)

Jul 12Wvs Royals8-2

Jul 11Wvs Royals6-1

Jul 10Wvs Royals5-3

Jul 9Wvs Cubs3-2

Jul 8Lvs Cubs7-9