BALTIMORE -- Through this epic Royals postseason run, right-hander Jeremy Guthrie has watched patiently from the sideline.
Guthrie has celebrated through three champagne parties, but during this playoff run he can't help but feel like an outsider looking in.
That is about to change. Guthrie was named manager Ned Yost's starter for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Kauffman Stadium against the Orioles.
Guthrie, veteran that he is, dismisses any notions that he has had to fight a "what-about-me" attitude.
"No, no moments like that," Guthrie said. "It's an understanding of what's going on that is key."
Guthrie said the Royals' bullpen was told up front the starting order -- James Shields in the Wild Card Game, Jason Vargas in Game 1, Yordano Ventura in Game 2 and then Shields again in Game 3 -- for the AL Division Series.
"Naturally, I planned and I prepared to pitch Game 4, if necessary, and fortunately for us it wasn't.
"With all the time off it was anticipated and expected that James again would get the nod as soon as he was available, which was Game 1 in this series. And Ventura has done everything to earn that No. 2 spot.
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"So there's no surprises. I understand looking from the outside in what's going on and what we're doing to try to give our team the best chance to win each series."
Guthrie gets the start in Game 3 partially because of his overall experience pitching against the O's. This will be his fifth start against his former team and he is 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA.
Guthrie said he is past any emotions about pitching against his former mates.
"Yeah, I think the emotion will come, obviously, from the playoff game," he said. "I think (my) history (with the O's) will be put, not even on a back burner, but on some kind of like rotating kitchen device, what do they call it, lazy Susan or something. So this is a playoff game and each one of us is preparing to play a very good team on the other side.
"And whether there's history or not, I think each player, myself included, has put that on the lazy Susan for the time being."
Guthrie last pitched on Sept. 26 in Chicago, the night the Royals clinched a playoff spot. He threw seven shutout innings. He's not sure what the layoff will mean to his effectiveness.
"I'm not sure," he said. "I've never had this much time between starts aside from being on the DL. So I don't view it one way or another. I was able to throw a simulated game, which at least gave me the opportunity to go out there and face hitters and treat them like I would in a game. That went well. I had a feel for my pitches. We'll see."
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com.
