Royals vs. Orioles Sunday game thread

Again, looking to avoid the sweep.

The Royals look to avoid getting swept for the sixth time this year (conversely they’ve only won three series) and their first winless road trip (they had a winless homestand already this year). Carlos Hernandez will serve as the opener with Mike Mayers expected to pitch the bulk innings.

The odds don’t seem to favor them as not only do they not have a true starter, but the Orioles will counter with their de facto ace, Kyle Gibson. After a down year-and-a-half in Philadelphia, the 36-year-old right-hander has rebounded in a big way for Baltimore. He’s no stranger to facing the Royals as this will be game number 28 for him against the Blue Crew. He’s gone a reasonable 10-6 with a 3.99 ERA over that time, slightly worse than his overall career numbers.

If you’re looking for a ray of hope, he already made one start against KC this year and gave up six runs in 6.2 innings while taking the loss.

Game time is 12:35 CT on Bally Sports Kansas City.