Total Take For Game 2 Of Royals Vs. Orioles

Royals vs. Orioles, 4:30 ET

We've had one day of playoff baseball and there are already four teams with their backs against the wall. Don't get me wrong, this would've happened regardless of who won yesterday. In a best-of-three series, the winner of the first game obviously has a rather large lead over their opponent and is in the driver seat. Last season there were no series in the Wild Card round that went three games, every team swept 2-0 and moved on to the next round is the same going to happen today? We shall see. I've got a look in this game between the Royals and Orioles.

The Royals now have two games to close out the series and today they start their best pitcher. To get into the postseason, the Royals didn't need to scratch and claw, but they certainly couldn't take their foot off of the gas pedal. They combined strong hitting, specifically from MVP candidate and likely runner-up Bobby Witt Jr., and timely pitching. There aren't a ton of names that will stand out to you on this Royals roster, but sometimes those guys make names for themselves in the playoffs. If you look at yesterday's game, I can't say the strong hitting was there, but the pitching certainly was. Cole Ragans and his crew went nine scoreless innings and allowed just five hits and two walks. Keeping their composure on the mound was paramount to winning the game and they did just that even in a few instances of trouble. Today, the Royals should feel confident as their Cy Young candidate, Seth Lugo, takes the mound. Lugo went 16-9 this season with a 3.00 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. While the numbers might not stand out the way Tarik Skubal's did, Lugo was still top-20 in every number when you include strikeouts. After putting together a great April and May, his numbers took a hit slightly in June before struggling in July and August. September he seemed to regain his form and ended the month with a 2.28 ERA in 27.2 innings. He did face Baltimore once this season and allowed four earned runs, including two homers in 5.1 innings of work.

Aug 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin (24) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Orioles are in danger of being a team that won 90+ games in back-to-back years but couldn't win a playoff game. This team is young, and loaded with talent, but I can't say I'm shocked to see them with their season on the line. I made a note of this in my article yesterday that previewed the series, but the Orioles haven't been anything outside of average in months. Since the All-Star Break, they are exactly .500. There are teams like the Tigers, for example, that get hot and ride that momentum sometimes to a World Series ring. It seems that the Orioles got hot in the beginning of the season and just maintained it to make it to this point. Yesterday they had a few chances, including runners on first and third with one out. Back-to-back strikeouts cost them one of their few shots to score yesterday. They also used their best starter, Corbin Burnes, who did his job yesterday. Today they turn to Zach Eflin in hopes of forcing a Game 3. Eflin came over around the trade deadline from Tampa Bay. In 55.1 innings with Baltimore, he has allowed 16 earned runs and has a WHIP of around 1.00. In the nine starts that he has made for Baltimore, he has seven quality starts, so expectations should be high for him in this one. He did face Kansas City when he was with Tampa and allowed five earned runs on seven hits in five innings of work. 

I think the Orioles have lost a bit of their luster. They are likely to play a bit tighter in this one and if Lugo is dealing the way he is capable of, I think the Royals take the game with ease. However, I'm not overly confident in the bet. What I like more is the under 7.5 runs. I would expect this to be no more than a 4-3 victory. Back the under in this one.

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