KANSAS CITY -- The Orioles and Royals together always conjures up images of the 2014 American League Champions Series, which saw Baltimore's best bout of baseball in two decades spoiled in a four-game sweep that ended at Kauffman Stadium. Both clubs are now feeling the effects of being competitive and the painful rebuilding process that often goes with it for a small-market team. Opportunity is everywhere, with unproven players on both sides of the field as each club looks to the future.
But as the O's trot out unproven rookies and a defense full of question marks, on Saturday it wasn't the youngsters that let them down.