The Royals had a day off; actually, in an odd bit of scheduling, it was the first of two days off before a doubleheader in Baltimore. The two days off came at a good time for the reeling Royals, who had lost 10 of 14 games, and were also banged up. Third baseman George Brett had not started since injuring his elbow in the May 7 brawl with Texas; manager Whitey Herzog hoped he would return for the two games with the Orioles. Center fielder Amos Otis had been battling a sore shoulder and a sore finger, so two days off seemed like a good idea for him as well.

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