The Royals are certainly making the most of their first trip to the postseason in 29 years, becoming just the fourth team to start the postseason with six straight victories after defeating the Orioles, 6-4, on Saturday in Baltimore.

It was yet another gripping, spectacular night of October baseball at Camden Yards on Saturday, as the Royals once again had to go to the wire to defeat the Orioles, 6-4, to take a 2-0 lead back home in the American League Championship Series.

The Royals and Orioles have waited a long time to get back to the American League Championship Series, and as they prepared to begin their battle for the pennant, meteorologists were predicting wet but playable conditions for the scheduled first pitch of tonight’s Game 1.

The Orioles added left-handed pitcher Brian Matusz to their American League Championship Series roster, removing right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez to clear a spot. The rest of Baltimore’s roster, which again includes 11 pitchers, is unchanged from its Division Series against Detroit.

The Royals roster will be the same for the American League Championship Series against the Orioles as it was for their Division Series victory over the Angels. The ALCS opens tonight at Camden Yards.

To stay useful, injured O’s catcher Matt Wieters has become a sort of extra coach for catchers Caleb Joseph and Nick Hundley. During the final week of the regular season, Orioles manager Buck Showalter sent him to Detroit to scout as the Tigers inched toward a division title and AL Division Series meeting with the Orioles.

With the fast and aggressive Royals invading Camden Yards for the start of the American League Championship Series on Friday at 8 p.m. ET on TBS, Orioles manager Buck Showalter was asked Thursday how his club can control a running game that has overwhelmed opponents all season.

MLB Tonight analysts Carlos Pena and Al Leiter weighed in on who they think has the edge in pitching, hitting and the intangibles for the AL Championship Series between the Orioles and Royals, which begins with Game 1 in Baltimore tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

Ned Yost, in his fifth year of managing the Royals, has realized he’s finally found the right rhythm as a manager. At least that’s the way he sounded on Thursday as he did some self-analysis for reporters.

A look at James Shields and Chris Tillman — the starters for Game 1 of the American League Championship Series today.

James Shields, the Royals’ starter in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, is not only Kansas City’s ace, he’s a leader whose intensity sets the tone throughout the clubhouse.

GM Dayton Moore made several moves that helped the Royals ascend to the 2014 ALCS, but two stand above the rest — trading Cy Young winner Zack Greinke for a package that included Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar, and trading top prospect Wil Myers for a package that included tonight’s Game 1 starter, James Shields.

Here is a cold, hard fact. The Baltimore Orioles hit 211 home runs this year, the most by any team in the Major Leagues. So how do the Royals stop that onslaught?

The ace of the Orioles isn’t much of a name outside of Baltimore. Yet that doesn’t bother Chris Tillman at all as he gets ready to take the ball in the most high-profile start of his career — Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Royals today at 8 p.m. ET.

Former Rockies Minor League outfielder Chandler Laurent was killed Wednesday night when a car he was driving collided into the back of an 18-wheeler that had slowed in traffic on Interstate 12 near Covington, La.

Since graduating from Harvard in 2000, Jeff Bridich — who was named the Rockies’ general manager Wednesday — built a career in professional baseball. But a part of him never stopped being the gritty catcher and outfielder who earned the honor of being a tri-captain his senior year.

The Orioles have reached an agreement on a three-year, $40 million contract extension with shortstop J.J. Hardy that includes an option for 2018, the club announced on Thursday.