Baltimore @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 1, 2018 ) Baltimore 4, Kansas City 5

Whit Merrifield has consistently been a bright spot in what has been an otherwise dismal season for the Kansas City Royals, although his teammates have done a solid job of following his example at the plate during the team's most successful stretch of the season. The Royals eye their seventh victory in eight tries Sunday when they attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles.

Merrifield (.311) is the only full-time Kansas City batter hitting over .266 for the season and powered his team to a 5-4 comeback victory Saturday, delivering a walk-off, two-run blast with one out in the ninth inning to help his team improve to 6-1 during its eight-game homestand. The Royals have been clicking on all cylinders over that span, averaging 6.6 runs and scoring at least five times in every game after entering the homestand with the lowest-scoring offense in the majors. Baltimore (40-96) has dropped 17 of its last 22 despite sweeping a three-game series from Toronto earlier in the week and appears destined to finish with the worst record in baseball this season after beginning the weekend with an opportunity to pass that dubious honor to Kansas City (44-91). Tim Beckham halted his slump (.206 average in August) in the loss, going 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, MASN 2 (Baltimore), FS Kansas City

PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH David Hess (3-8, 5.08 ERA) vs. Royals RH Jorge Lopez (0-4, 4.86)

Hess has registered three straight quality starts, but he won for the first time over that stretch Monday against Toronto, holding the Blue Jays to four hits and two walks across six scoreless innings. The Tennessee Tech product has been considerably stingier since the All-Star break, posting a 3.41 ERA and .208 batting average against (6.06 and .282 before, respectively). Hess will try to string together two wins in a row for the first time in his career Saturday as he faces Kansas City for the first time.

Lopez fired three scoreless innings to begin his last outing, but he lasted only one more frame while taking the loss last Sunday against Cleveland after surrendering five runs on five hits and three walks. The 25-year-old Puerto Rican went 0-1 with a 2.75 ERA in 10 relief appearances this season with Milwaukee before joining Kansas City in the Mike Moustakas trade on July 27. Lopez has only 25 strikeouts versus 21 walks over 33 1/3 innings this season as he squares off with Baltimore for the first time.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Royals' four-game winning streak is their longest since a nine-game run from July 19-28, 2017.

2. Baltimore OF/DH Mark Trumbo (right knee inflammation) is out indefinitely after the club announced he is expected to undergo arthroscopic surgery Thursday or Friday.

3. Merrifield has reached base safely in 21 straight games to match a career high.

PREDICTION: Orioles 5, Royals 3