Royals celebrate after beating Orioles 2-1 to move on to ALDS

BALTIMORE — The Kansas City Royals returned to action Wednesday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles in Game 2 of their AL Wild Card Series.

The Royals grabbed the first game Tuesday afternoon and closed out the series Wednesday night with a 2-1 win.

They will move on to the American League Division Series to play against the New York Yankees.

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8:06 p.m. | In case you missed it, KSHB 41's Lindsay Shively got a Salvy Splash in the locker room to close out her interview with The Captain.

8:02 p.m. | Lucas Erceg says that the pitching staff "don't let the moment get too big."

7:54 p.m. | Seth Lugo "can't wait" to play more playoff baseball.

7:44 p.m. | Even though the Royals offense has only scored three runs this postseason, Michael Massey says the team just needs to "score any way you can."

7:33 p.m. | MJ Melendez describes how he made his remarkable catch to keep the Orioles off the bases early in the 2-1 win.

7:22 p.m. | Vinnie Pasquantino celebrates after his two-hit night helps beat the Orioles.

7:07 p.m. | Salvy is feeling "amazing" after clinching a spot in the ALDS.

7:02 p.m. | The champagne is flowing!

7:01 p.m. | The Royals only scored three runs in the series but their bullpen stepped up and held the Orioles scoreless.

6:52 p.m. | The champagne is on ice for the Royals in Baltimore.

6:47 p.m. | Fans of the boys in blue are hyped up at the Kansas City Power & Light District after the Royals shut the door on the Orioles.

6:43 p.m. | Blue October is still alive! The Royals have advanced to the ALDS after a 2-1 victory over the Orioles. They now head to the Bronx to face the Yankees on Saturday.

6:37 p.m. | The Royals are just three outs away from winning their first playoff series since the 2015 World Series.

5:46 p.m. | Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gave a short and sweet reaction to Witt beating the Orioles throw to first, scoring center fielder Kyle Isbel.

5:43 p.m. | Bobby Witt Jr. gets his second hit and first RBI of the game, giving the Royals a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning.

5:31 p.m. | The Royals get out of a bases-loaded jam thanks to pitcher Angel Zerpa, who appeared in relief of Seth Lugo in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The game is still tied 1-1.

5:19 p.m. | The Orioles have tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning after a home run by center fielder Cedric Mullins.

4:59 p.m. | Another stellar defensive play, this time by Massey, keeps the Orioles off the board in the bottom of the fourth inning.

4:43 p.m. | MJ saves the day! Left fielder MJ Melendez made a fantastic running catch to steal a hit from the Orioles in the bottom of the third inning.

3:46 p.m. | First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino gets the Royals on the board first with a single to right field, scoring second baseman Michael Massey.

Pasquantino gets his first hit of the playoffs just a little over a month after an injury to his right thumb which required surgery.

3:30 p.m. | Crowds are gathering ahead of the first pitch in Game 2.

12:45 p.m. | After Tuesday's win, KSHB 41's Lindsay Shively asked Royals manager Matt Quatraro about how the team is staying focused.

11:45 a.m. | The Royals will send Seth Lugo to the mound to start Game 2 against the Orioles.

Lugo, 34, set a career-high in innings this season with more than 206 innings pitched. He compiled a 16-9 record with a 3.00 ERA and a WHIP of 1.089.

Here's a look at the club's lineup for tonight:

11 a.m. | KSHB 41's Lindsay Shively has been anchoring our coverage from Baltimore throughout the week.

While the team is in Baltimore for all three games — if necessary — of this series, a win to advance to the ALDS would mean the Royals would host a playoff game at Kauffman Stadium for the first time since Game 2 of the 2015 World Series against the New York Mets.

After Tuesday's game, Lindsay asked Royals star SS Bobby Witt Jr. what it would be like to bring playoff baseball back to Kauffman.

"Yeah, it kind of gives me chills just thinking about it," Witt said. "I can't imagine it at the K, so definitely it's a goal."

Witt said the team is locked in after last year's season.

"Last offseason, we talked about how we wanted to bring October baseball back to Kansas City, and so we're going to try our best just to keep doing that; one pitch at a time," Witt said.

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