Schedule
Game 1, Friday, at Baltimore (7:07 p.m.); Game 2, Saturday, at Baltimore (3:07 p.m.); Game 3, Monday, Oct. 13, at Kansas City (TBD); Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 14, at Kansas City (TBD); x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 15, at Kansas City (TBD); x-Game 6, Friday, Oct. 17, at Baltimore (TBD); x-Game 7, Saturday, Oct. 18, at Baltimore (TBD). (All games on TBS). x-if necessary.

Regular Season Series
Royals won 4-3.

Projected Lineup
Royals: SS Alcides Escobar (.285, 3 HRs, 50 RBIs, 31 SBs), RF Nori Aoki (.285, 1, 43, 17 SBs), CF Lorenzo Cain (.301, 5, 53, 28 SBs), 1B Eric Hosmer (.270, 9, 58), DH Billy Butler (.271, 9, 66), LF Alex Gordon (.266, 19, 74, 12 SBs), C Salvador Perez (.260, 19, 70), 2B Omar Infante (.252, 6, 66), 3B Mike Moustakas (.212, 15, 54).
Orioles: RF Nick Markakis (.276, 14, 50), LF Alejandro De Aza (.252, 8, 41 with White Sox and Orioles), CF Adam Jones (.281, 29, 96), DH Nelson Cruz (.271, MLB-best 40, 108), 1B Steve Pearce (.293, 21, 49), SS J.J. Hardy (.268, 9, 52), 3B Ryan Flaherty (.221, 7, 32), C Nick Hundley (.243, 6, 22 in 218 ABs with Padres and Orioles) or Caleb Joseph (.207, 9, 28), 2B Jonathan Schoop (.209, 16, 45).

Projected Rotation
Royals: RH James Shields (14-8, 3.21 ERA, 227 IP, 180 Ks), LH Jason Vargas (11-10, 3.71, 128 Ks), RH Yordano Ventura (14-10, 3.20, 159 Ks), RH Jeremy Guthrie (13-11, 4.13, 202 2-3 IP, 124 Ks).
Orioles: RH Chris Tillman (13-6, 3.34, 150 Ks), LH Wei-Yin Chen (16-6, 3.54), RH Bud Norris (15-8, 3.65), RH Miguel Gonzalez (10-9, 3.23).

Relievers
Royals: RH Greg Holland (1-3, 1.44, 46/48 saves), RH Wade Davis (9-2, 1.00), RH Kelvin Herrera (4-3, 1.41), LH Brandon Finnegan (0-1, 1.29 in 7 games), RH Jason Frasor (3-0, 1.53), LH Danny Duffy (9-12, 2.53 ERA, 113 Ks in 31 games, 25 starts), LH Tim Collins (0-3, 3.86 in 22 games).
Orioles: LH Zach Britton (3-2, 1.65, 37/41 saves), RH Darren O’Day (5-2, 1.70, 4 saves), RH Tommy Hunter (3-2, 2.97, 11/17 saves), LH Andrew Miller (5-5, 2.02, 1 save in 73 games with Boston and Baltimore), RH Brad Brach (7-1, 3.18), LH Brian Matusz (2-3, 3.48), RH Kevin Gausman (7-7, 3.57 in 20 starts), RH Ubaldo Jimenez (6-9, 4.81 in 25 games, 22 starts).

Matchups
Though both clubs were perennial winners during the 1970s and early ‘80s, this is their first meeting in the postseason. They played for the first time in 1969 after the Royals became an expansion team — Kansas City won that very first game, then Baltimore took the next 23. ... Both squads will be well-rested (and maybe a little rusty) with four days off after finishing Division Series sweeps on Sunday. ... Shields, who pitched for the Orioles’ AL East rival Tampa Bay from 2006-12, has plenty of experience against Baltimore. He was 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in two starts against the O’s this year and is 11-7, 3.52 ERA in 26 career starts, including two shutouts. Markakis, 21 for 71 (.296) with two HRs and eight RBIs, and Jones, 14 for 46 (.304) with a homer and six RBIs, have the most success against Big Game James. ... Tillman shut out the Royals in with a five-hitter in May, but he gave up 20 runs in four previous starts against them. Gordon has homered twice off Tillman in 13 at-bats. ... The Orioles did not face Vargas this season. In eight games against him, they are hitting just .224 (46 for 205). Cruz, in his first season with Baltimore, had four homers and eight RBIs while hitting .333 (10 for 30) for Texas against Vargas. ... Joseph gives the Orioles the best chance of slowing the Royals’ running game. He threw out 23 of 57 potential base stealers this year. Hundley nailed only 5 of 27. ... Ventura struck out a combined 17 in two starts against the O’s this season. ... The Royals are hitting .313 (47 for 150) with five homers against Chen in six games over his three-year major league career. Chen, a 16-game winner this year, held Kansas City to three runs in 12 1-3 innings in two games in 2014. ... Kansas City is just 9 for 46 (.196) against Norris. Still, Norris was outpitched by Duffy — relegated to the bullpen so far this postseason — in a 1-0 loss in May.