Baltimore Orioles Will End Kansas City Royals’ Postseason Run

By Ben Linton on October 10, 2014

The Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals are set to begin an improbable ALCS matchup tonight at Camden Yards. Baltimore is hoping to reach the World Series for the first time since 1983 and last played in the ALCS in 1997. Kansas City last appeared in the World Series in 1985 and are in the playoffs for the first time in 29 years. For many people in my generation (born in 1991), this is the first time we’ve ever seen these teams be good and now they will battle it out for a trip to the World Series.

When comparing these two teams, most people would say they are very different. The Orioles are the league’s most powerful hitting team, hitting 211 home runs on the season but rank dead last in stolen bases. On the other side, the Royals have the most steals in the majors with 153 but hit the least amount of home runs in MLB this year. But these teams are incredibly similar once you get beyond the power-speed difference. Both teams are excellent at fielding and have dominant bullpens that helped them arrive at this point. Each team has received solid starting pitching throughout the season.

The Orioles will be prepared to neutralize Kansas City’s speed. Catcher Caleb Joesph has a great arm and is wonderful at throwing out base runners, gunning down 40 percent of attempted base thieves on the year. If he had qualified for the statistics, Joesph would have been second-best in the majors at throwing out runners behind Yadier Molina. The Orioles’ pitchers are also excellent at slowing down the running game, the best one being Game 1 starter Chris Tillman. In the past two seasons, Tillman has allowed a total of two stolen bases. Teams have been successful on only 32 percent of attempts against him, which is the lowest rate in all of baseball. Wei-Yin Chen is also adept at limiting speed, only allowing nine steals over the past two seasons. Kansas City can run, but they can’t hide from Baltimore’s superb defense.

In order to steal bases and put pressure on opposing defenses, you have to get on base first. This is something the Royals are weak at, with a .314 on-base percentage that ranked 10th in MLB. Baltimore was able to contain the Detroit Tigers‘ potent offense in the ALDS, and Kansas City’s lineup is much weaker. The Orioles’ pitching staff was third in the league with a 3.43 ERA this season, and pitchers Tillman and Bud Norris have excellent career numbers against the Royals.

The element of surprise has now been lost for Kansas City, which played a factor in the series victory against the Los Angeles Angels. The Orioles are not going to take them lightly, and Buck Showalter will have his club prepared for whatever KC throws at them. According to ESPN polls, 68 percent of America is rooting for the Royals to win and another 53 percent thinks that Kansas City will move on to the World Series. Once again Baltimore is being underestimated and overlooked, which is exactly the kind of fuel that led the team to its first division title and ALCS appearance since 1997.

The Royals have been a feel-good story and are one of the hottest teams in baseball over the past couple weeks. But the Orioles have been on a roll since June and haven’t looked back. After dismantling the past three Cy Young winners in the ALDS, Baltimore isn’t going to be afraid of anybody. Though the Royals have made a majestic postseason run, it will end against a true team of destiny, the Orioles.

Prediction: Orioles in five games