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Thursday night game thread: vs. Royals, 7:05

The Orioles will try to win two consecutive games for the first time since April 5-6. This is their sixth attempt.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Is tonight the night?

Is tonight the night the Orioles win two games in a row for the first time in more than a month?

I dare not dream. It seems such a daunting task. The Orioles haven't won two in a row since April 5-6 at Yankee Stadium. At that point, the season was eight games old. In the five weeks since then, the O's have a whopping six wins, none of them consecutively.

Three previous times, Chris Tillman has been the Orioles' starter the day after a win. Spoiler alert: all three times, he has failed to keep the modest win streak going. His 9.24 ERA possibly has something to do with that.

Alas, here is Tillman again tonight. He followed up his one good start of the season with yet another disaster last time out, giving up seven runs in one inning against the Angels. Another ugly outing could be his last for the Orioles -- but then again, I've said that about 15 times over the last two seasons, and it's never been true.

Chance Sisco is back in the lineup after starting just three of the last 12 games. Jace Peterson makes his first start at third base, giving fans a chance to see competent defense after 14 straight games of Pedro Alvarez or Danny Valencia. But that defensive upgrade is counteracted by Mark Trumbo making the start in right field. This is why we can't have nice things.

Today's Lineups

KANSAS CITY ROYALS BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Jon Jay - LF Trey Mancini - LF
Jorge Soler - RF Adam Jones - CF
Mike Moustakas - DH Manny Machado - SS
Salvador Perez - C Jonathan Schoop - 2B
Lucas Duda - 1B Chris Davis - 1B
Whit Merrifield - 2B Mark Trumbo - RF
Alex Gordon - CF Pedro Alvarez - DH
Cheslor Cuthbert - 3B Jace Peterson - 3B
Alcides Escobar - SS Chance Sisco - C
Ian Kennedy - RHP Chris Tillman - RHP