Orioles look to re-discover power, take series from Royals

After a 9-7, no-home-run win Saturday to even their three-game series with the host Kansas City Royals, the Baltimore Orioles will look to re-energize their power bats for the rubber game Sunday afternoon.

The Orioles' five-game streak of at least three home runs -- one game shy of the major league record -- was snapped in a 9-4 loss to the Royals on Friday, with Adley Rutschman's grand slam providing the Orioles' offense.

Baltimore's 31 home runs lead the majors and match the club record for most long balls in the team's first 20 games (also accomplished in 1966 and 1996).

Hoping to benefit from the long ball on Sunday will be Baltimore left-hander Cole Irvin (0-1, 6.75 ERA), who allowed two runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings in his most recent start, Monday against the Minnesota Twins.

He will oppose Royals right-hander Seth Lugo (3-0, 1.05) on Sunday.

Gunnar Henderson leads the Orioles with six home runs and has done it simply by hitting the ball hard. Henderson leads the majors with an average exit velocity of 97mph on 56 batted balls.

"Gunnar plays the game at one speed, and that's hard," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.

In winning 2023 American League Rookie of the Year honors -- the first Oriole to win unanimously -- Henderson posted an average exit velocity of 92.0 MPH and ranked 14th in baseball with 52 percent hard-hit balls.

"I'm sticking to my approach and not trying to get too big, just trying to do some damage to the ball," Henderson explained. "Trying to use the experiences that I learned from last year."

Irvin is 2-3 with a 2.83 ERA in six career starts against Kansas City and took the loss April 2, surrendering four runs on seven hits in five innings. Salvador Perez has a home run among five hits against Irvin.

Perez leads Royals hitters with six home runs, and his 22 RBIs are second most in baseball. He matched a career high with five RBIs Saturday as the Royals' rally fell short.

Lugo will make his first career start against the Orioles. Current Baltimore hitters have faced Lugo for two only at-bats.

Coming off seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits against the White Sox last Monday, Lugo has won three straight starts.

"He's amazing to watch because he works so quickly," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said after Lugo earned the win in Kansas City's 11-2 victory over the Astros on April 10. "He gets a ton of contact, and he makes the hitters make tough decisions because the ball's moving in different directions."

Lugo has registered a quality start in each of his four starts as the Royals' rotation has collected an American League-best 12 quality starts through the team's first 21 games.

Lugo has induced five double-play grounders -- tied for the American League lead -- and has yet to surrender a home run.

"He gets a ton of ground balls," Quatraro said. "He keeps the ball down. He has a really good feel for what he's doing."