KANSAS CITY - Four days after sweeping a three-game series at home versus Toronto, the Orioles need a win today to avoid being swept three in a row at Kansas City. These teams have the two worst records in the majors and now K.C. is 4 1/2 games better than the Orioles at 44-91 to the Orioles 40-96. Just five teams in Orioles history have lost 97 or more games and this O's edition will join them with a loss today. The last to do so was the 2009 Orioles with 98 losses. Right-hander David Hess...

KANSAS CITY - The Orioles and Kansas City Royals didn't look like they gave a darn last night about any No. 1 draft pick. They both went hard to win a game. Down 2-1 in the sixth, the Royals scored twice off Dylan Bundy. Down 3-2 in the eighth, the Orioles scored twice to take a 4-3 lead. Then the ninth inning happened. Manager Buck Showalter had made no such proclamation that Mychal Givens is the Orioles closer but he has been. Givens went 4-for-5 in save chances since Aug. 5 heading into...

The Orioles have fallen 4 ½ games behind the Royals in the race for the second pick in next year's amateur draft. Isn't that the race we're tracking here? With last night's walk-off win for the Royals, the Orioles have dropped to 1-7-2 in their last 10 series. They're 0-83 when trailing after seven innings and have lost 12 of the last 14 games at Kauffman Stadium since May 17, 2014, including six in a row. Dylan Bundy is 1-6 with a 8.46 ERA in his last 10 starts after starting out 6-7...

KANSAS CITY - They were three outs from a comeback win. But they suffered a walk-off loss instead. Whit Merrifield's two-run homer to left center off Mychal Givens gave the Kansas City Royals a 5-4 ninth-inning win over the Orioles tonight. Givens came on to try to wrap up a 4-3 win. But he walked leadoff batter Brett Phillips on four pitches, and then Phillips moved to second on a sac bunt. Merrifield then drilled an 0-2 fastball 415 feet to end the game as the Orioles suffered a stunning...

Stephen Strasburg has looked both dominant and like he was battling himself tonight. But through four innings, he's yet to allow a run. A seven-pitch first inning was followed by Strasburg striking out the side in the second in a 1-2-3 inning. He allowed a Jonathan Schoop single to lead off the third, but Manny Piña lined into a double play and Chase Anderson grounded to short. The fourth presented some issues for Strasburg, who had major control problems. He fanned Lorenzo Cain swinging,...

Painted into a corner in May when their lack of catching depth was exposed, the Nationals gave Spencer Kieboom a shot. Suffice it to say that the 27-year-old rookie has seized the opportunity. KIeboom, whose major league experience was limited to a single at-bat (he walked) on the final day of the 2016 season, was pressed into service when starting catcher Matt Wieters was injured and placed on the disabled list on May 11. Pedro Severino took over the regular backstop duties and Kieboom had his...

KANSAS CITY - The Orioles added just one player today, when rosters can expand to as many as 40 players. They are going to add more but it didn't happen this afternoon, as just infielder Breyvic Valera was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. So why just the one addition? "You could ask Dan (Duquette), but I think they (the minor league teams) have three games there left," manager Buck Showalter said. "Same reason why, what did they (Kansas City) call up, one? They'll be right around the...

Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson threw another bullpen session Saturday afternoon, this time integrating his curveball for the first time since going on the disabled list with a right wrist sprain. "Felt good," he said. "Threw about 45, 60 (pitches). I threw some curveballs. It felt fine." Hellickson said after a 30-pitch bullpen Wednesday in Philadelphia that he has shied away from throwing curveballs off the mound because it still hurt to throw the pitch. But he's been throwing a few...

KANSAS CITY - He's been an Oriole less than two weeks and we've seen flashes of his speed both in the outfield and on the bases. But John Andreoli's fleet feet had real impact in the Orioles' last win at home, on Wednesday versus the Blue Jays. In a 5-5 tie in the last of the sixth, Andreoli got an infield hit, stole second base and scored on Austin Wynns' single to give the Orioles a 6-5 lead in a game they won 10-5. Two innings later he hit one into left-center and produced a hustle...

The Orioles have expanded their roster by one player today, recalling infielder Breyvic Valera from Triple-A Norfolk. They still have two openings on the 40-man roster. Valera, acquired from the Dodgers in the Manny Machado trade, was 1-for-4 with an RBI in his only game with the Orioles. He was batting .229/.310/.364 in 38 games with the Tides. The Orioles have an extra utility infielder with Valera joining Jace Peterson. John Andreoli gets the start in left field tonight as the Orioles...