KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Redemption could be found all over the soggy Kauffman Stadium field Friday night. Heston Kjerstad lost a ball in the sky, then drove in a run one inning later. Maikel Garcia cost his team a run with a throwing error in the second, then gave his squad the lead in the fourth.

But there was no redemption for the Orioles, looking to avenge their lackluster sweep at the hands of the Royals in the wild-card series six months ago. And there was no spark from the season debut of All-Star shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who went 1-for4 with strikeout in a listless 8-2 loss.

On Oct. 2, Seth Lugo drowned the O’s lineup with his dizzying nine-pitch mix, flushing them out of the postseason with 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Friday night, Baltimore looked just as helpless, producing just two runs (one earned) in six innings against the veteran righty.

Henderson, who returned to his leadoff spot after a weeklong rehab stint with Triple-A Norfolk, was supposed to lengthen an O’s lineup that just lost outfielder Colton Cowser to a fractured thumb. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle was bumped down to eighth in the lineup, the lowest he’s ever hit in his big league career.

“We should be a deep lineup,” manager Brandon Hyde said before the game. “We should be tough outs all the way down the order.”

“We’re dynamic 1-through-9,” Henderson said pregame. “Anybody can do it on any given day and that’s our M.O., is just put up a lot of runs in many different ways.”

By the end of the game, the lineup looked as thin as the crowd of 14,196 fans who braved a damp, 47-degree night to watch the Royals pick up their second home win of the early season.

Perhaps this should’ve been expected for a team that relied so heavily on the long ball in recent seasons. Kauffman Stadium is a pitcher’s park. And with the wind blowing in, it was evident early that no balls would reach the outfield seats.

No Orioles hitter even reached the warning track. After mashing six home runs on opening day in Toronto, the Orioles have hit just five since then. They have had one homer in their last five games.

If the weather could be blamed for the O’s sluggish offense Friday, perhaps it also bears some responsibility for the poor fielding as well. Kjerstad’s dropped ball and a Henderson error on a ground ball were among several ugly misplays by an Orioles defense that failed to pick up starter Dean Kremer.

“I’m sure the conditions [hurt] a little bit, but they’re playing in the same conditions,” Hyde said after the loss. “We have to get better defensively.”

But if pitching and defense have a symbiotic relationship, neither side held up its end of the bargain. Kremer allowed eight hits and three runs (two earned), striking out just one batter in 4 1/3 innings.

“It’s tough at-bat after tough at-bat,” Kremer said of Kansas City’s aggressive approach at the plate. “You know that there’s not going to be much swing and miss, but there’s going to be action for the fielders. You try to do your best limiting damage.”

“I thought Dean threw the ball really, really well,” Hyde said postgame. “That’s twice now he’s had really good stuff and we haven’t helped him out defensively.”

Eight games into the season, Zach Eflin is still the only Baltimore pitcher to complete six innings in a start.

The ship was finally sunk in the eighth inning, when Cionel Pérez needed 37 pitches to get three outs. He allowed five runs, raising his ERA on the season to 19.64.

Hyde said Friday afternoon that his group is still looking for its identity on offense. Henderson agreed.

“In terms of how we put up runs and stuff, I feel like, yeah, that’s a good way to put it: We’re gonna find it,” he said. “But yeah it’s kinda cool going through those early stages and seeing how everything works out.”

It’s still early days for the 2025 Orioles. But they’ll need to solve the case of their missing offense, the one that disappeared down the stretch last season. One week into a new campaign, it remains unsolved.