Still raining, Chen vs. Royals, Walling retiring

KANSAS CITY - You want a weather update? It's still raining in Kansas City. Kaufmann Stadium is a wading pool.

The forecast still calls for a 100 percent chance of rain through the night. I can't imagine Game 3 of the American League Championship Series being played tonight, but stranger things have happened.

I'm compiling my list.

The decision rests with Major League Baseball, not the teams or local meteorologists.

I won't speculate on the rotation until Game 3 is postponed and reporters get a chance to meet with manager Buck Showalter.

The Orioles haven't led in the ALCS and the weather may not let it happen tonight.

Wei-Yin Chen is 1-1 with a 4.17 ERA in six career starts against the Royals and 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts in Kansas City.

Billy Butler is 8-for-18 (.444) with two doubles, a triple and two home runs against Chen. Eric Hosmer is 7-for-17 (.412) with a double and two home runs, and Alex Gordon is 5-for-16 (.313) with a home run.

The current Royals are batting .314 against Chen. The Orioles are batting .212 against Jeremy Guthrie and none have hit a home run.

Alejandro De Aza is 8-for-32 (.250) with two doubles. Nelson Cruz is 6-for-24 (.250) with a double and six RBIs.

Adam Jones is 1-for-12 (.083).

Guthrie went 47-65 in five seasons with the Orioles.

"I think this is very serendipitous that I leave a franchise that I was a part of for five years and had had a long drought of being in the playoffs, but had a storied history and past, and end up on a team with another rich history, as well, but an even longer drought," Guthrie said.

"To be in the playoffs with Kansas City is very exciting. And then to come back and play against a team that I played with before makes it even that much more interesting and ironic, I think."

ESPN Stats & Info points out that Guthrie's ERA is 5.06 in the first inning this season, 2.53 in the second, 5.68 in the third and 5.52 in the fourth. It dips to 3.20 from the fifth inning or later.

Triple-A Norfolk is in the market for a new hitting coach. Denny Walling has informed the Orioles that he's retiring.

Walling spent the past three seasons as Tides hitting coach after serving as roving hitting instructor for seven years. He was the Mets hitting coach in 2003 and 2004.

Walling and former Orioles player and coach Terry Crowley are tied for 11th on baseball's all-time pinch hit list with 108.

Lenny Harris 212
Mark Sweeney 175
Manny Mota 148
Greg Gross 143
Smoky Burgess 142
Dave Hansen 139
John Vander Wal 126
Jose Morales 123
Orlando Palmeiro 120
Red Lucas 114
Terry Crowley 108
Denny Walling 108