KANSAS CITY - The Orioles haven't sunk below .500 since July 26. Can they avoid taking another dip tonight? Can they pitch better? Can their offense unload instead of scoring three runs or fewer, as it's done in six of the last seven games? Can they avoid costly mistakes in the field? The errors suddenly are piling up. They began last night with 52, only two less than the runner-up Dodgers for fewest in the majors, and Jonathan Schoop increased the total with a poor throw in the sixth inning...

KANSAS CITY - The Orioles are a .500 team for the first time since July 27. Innings snowball and they can't dig out from under the storm. The Royals scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth tonight and cruised to an 8-3 win at Kauffman Stadium, handing the Orioles their sixth loss in the last seven games. Ubaldo Jimenez retired nine in a row and suddenly lost command of his fastball. The Orioles' offense shut down after Steve Clevenger's RBI double in the fourth, with Kansas City...

Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez entered the last of the sixth tonight at Kansas City with a 3-1 lead. He had thrown just 61 pitches. He pitched in that inning with a man on second and two outs. What followed was pretty much a disaster. Jimenez allowed five straight two-out hits, three for extra bases. When the inning was over, the Kansas City Royals had scored seven runs and they beat the Orioles 8-3 tonight at Kauffman Stadium. What looked like a game that could end in an important...

Manager: Pat Murphy (1st season) Record: 61-63 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: RF Matt Kemp (.267/.314/.423 with 15 HR, 76 RBIs), LF Justin Upton (.258/.344/.448 with 20 HR, 67 RBIs), 3B Yangervis Solarte (.269/.325/.425 with 10 HR, 49 RBIs), RHP James Shields (9-5, 3.74 ERA), RHP Craig Kimbrel (35 saves, 2.94 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 1-3 Pitching probables: Aug. 25: RHP James Shields vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg, 7:05 p.m., MASN Aug. 22: RHP Tyson Ross vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m.,...

KANSAS CITY - We have controversy on the first pitch of tonight's game, and an Orioles lead three batters into it. Lorenzo Cain appeared to run down Manny Machado's drive to right-center field before slamming into the fence and tumbling to the ground. The Orioles challenged the call and Machado was given a double. Cain must have trapped the ball against the fence to regain possession of it. Manager Buck Showalter came back out of the dugout to argue with crew chief John Hirshbeck that Machado...

KANSAS CITY - The Orioles will make another roster move on Tuesday after Steve Clevenger leaves the team to be with his wife Tiffany for the birth of their first child. Clevenger will be placed on paternity leave following tonight's game. The Orioles will bring up a position player. With an eight-man bullpen, it's possible that the Orioles also will send down a reliever after tonight's game and go back to a four-man bench. They need an extra arm tonight because manager Buck Showalter wants...

Coming off the four-game sweep by the Minnesota Twins and with five losses in their last six games, the Orioles begin a two-city road trip tonight at Kansas City. The last time these two teams met, the Royals swept the Orioles in four straight to win the American League Championship Series. They won by scores of 8-6, 6-4, 2-1 and 2-1 as the Orioles lost the four games by six total runs. Lorenzo Cain went 8-for-15 and the Royals bullpen pitched to an ERA of 1.13. The Orioles had seven hits in...

KANSAS CITY - Ryan Flaherty has played 174 games at second base, 68 at third, 50 at shortstop, 18 at first and 26 in the outfield over his four seasons in the majors. He's the ultimate utility guy, trusted with the glove at any position, and his responsibilities have grown again following J.J. Hardy's injury. Hardy went on the disabled list today with a strained left groin. He's gone for at least 15 days, and Flaherty will be called upon as his replacement. Flaherty is starting at shortstop...

The American League wild card race is a mess. Texas has won three consecutive games to take a wild card spot for the first time since June 17. If they season ended today, they'd play the Yankees in New York in the one-game playoffs. The Twins, looking irrelevant after 1-6 trip through Toronto and Cleveland two weeks ago, are back in the hunt after a four-game sweep of the Orioles. And even with a .500 record, Tampa Bay is in the mix. Who knows? Maybe the Tigers, without Yeonis Cespedes and...

As a rookie in 2014, second baseman Jonathan Schoop's season ended with 16 home runs and a .209 average, including a .155 mark during the final month. Now, as September arrives and with his injured knee healthy, Schoop is ready to have a strong September and help the Orioles get into the postseason. He learned last year about what it takes to succeed in September. "I learned how to prepare myself better, how to stay in the moment and how to be stronger," Schoop says. "I learned a lot. I...