Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles vs. Kansas City RoyalsKansas City Royals Pick Center

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Steaming Orioles visit Royals nextFLMMaybe a day off before a beautiful day in Kansas City on Friday is just what the Baltimore Orioles need.For the second time in two weeks, the Orioles' emotions seemed to boil over Wednesday night, and it had nothing to do with the competition.Reliever Richard Bleier and third-base coach Jose David Flores were seen on the MASN broadcast screaming at each other in the dugout and down into the clubhouse tunnel following Bleier's appearance in the Orioles' 8-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. Bleier allowed three runs on four hits in 1/3 inning.The dugout brouhaha followed a similar encounter between first baseman Chris Davis and manager Brandon Hyde during a game against the Yankees, when Davis had to be restrained by teammates and coaches.Wednesday's disagreement appeared to stem from Bleier's dissatisfaction with defensive positioning. Bleier later apologized for his outburst."I think I just let frustration kind of boil over," he told The Baltimore Sun. "Right now, we're not thrilled with each other, maybe. But I'm sure we can move past this and get back to a healthy relationship." The Orioles come to Kansas City with the second-worst record in baseball and will face the team with the third-worst record in baseball.The O's took two of three from Kansas City last week in Baltimore, but they have not won a series in Kansas City since 2012. That was the only time they've done it since 2008, which includes losing the final two games in K. C. to conclude the ALCS four-game sweep in 2014.The Orioles had not announced a starter as of Thursday night for either of the first two games of the series. They did option right-hander Taylor Scott to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, possibly making room for Friday's starter (perhaps John Means), according to the Baltimore Sun.The Royals, who fell 9-8 to the A's on Thursday afternoon while the Orioles rested, will send Eric Skoglund to the mound for his second start of the season. He served an 80-game suspension at the beginning of the season before being assigned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. In two minor league stops, he was 3-5 with a 6.04 ERA.But the lanky left-hander allowed just two runs on two hits over five innings in his 2019 majors debut in a no-decision at Cleveland on Sunday. Friday will be Skoglund's second career start against the Orioles. He took a no-decision, despite a quality start on May 9, 2018 in Baltimore. He allowed three runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings."Just continuing to mix everything up, keeping the guys off-balance," Skoglund said of his preparation before his first start in Cleveland. "Ultimately, I've felt great the whole time. I've just been having some trouble catching some breaks. I haven't really changed much, just continuing to command my pitches, and the off-speed comes off that." Over his last six major league outings, Skoglund has a 1.78 ERA (five earned runs in 25 1/3 innings) since last Sept. 7, holding opponents to a .148 batting average.--Field Level Media

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