Wednesday afternoon Orioles game thread: at Royals, 2:10 ET

Apr 17, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) reacts in the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images The Orioles/Royals series so far has played out like a competition between two closely matched opponents. And that’s not a good thing for the O’s.

The Royals entered the series with the worst record in the American League — and, in fact, still have it — but the Birds haven’t exactly feasted on them like you’d hope a good team would. The O’s were a strike away from losing the opener before finally showing a pulse at the last minute, and yesterday the Orioles let a winnable game slip away, blowing an early 3-0 lead and a late 5-4 lead in a frustrating defeat that snapped Kansas City’s eight-game losing streak. The problems that have gripped the Orioles all season remain unsolved.

Losing a series to the Royals would be the latest ignominy for the 2026 Orioles, but that’s what’s on the table this afternoon if they drop the rubber game. It’ll be up to Chris Bassitt to try to prevent that from happening. The Royals have one of the league’s worst offenses, but that didn’t stop them from putting a million runners on base against Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz in the first two games.

So Bassitt is really going to need to step up his performance from what he’s shown so far as an Oriole. In all likelihood, this is going to be another tough day for the Orioles offense, at least for the first half of the game. They’re facing Michael Wacha and his 1.