BALTIMORE (AP) — Tyler Wells pitched six strong innings to earn his first victory of the season and the Baltimore Orioles used a six-run fifth inning Monday afternoon to surge past the Kansas City Royals 6-1.
Baltimore has won four of five for the first time this season and finished its homestand 5-4. Kansas City has lost seven of its past nine to fall a season-high eight games under .500.
The game was a makeup of Saturday’s postponed game to cap a rain-altered series. Friday’s game was washed out and made up as part of a doubleheader the teams split Sunday.
Wells (1-2) allowed Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI single in the first, but cruised through the rest of his start. He retired 15 of the last 18 batters he faced and struck out three in the longest outing of his career.
The Orioles had only four hits in their fifth-inning rally against Royals starter Carlos Hernández (0-2). A walk, Anthony Bemboom’s double and Jorge Mateo’s RBI single tied it with one out. Bemboom came around when catcher MJ Melendez’s errant throw on Mateo’s steal of second sailed into center field.
Hernández was on the verge of escaping further damage when he struck out Cedric Mullins. But Trey Mancini singled in Mateo, and Hernández issued a walk and hit a batter before his wild pitch scored Mancini. Ryan Mountcastle then lined a single to left to score two more runs.
Hernández allowed six runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out two.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: Kansas City placed OF Edward Olivares (right quad strain) on the 10-day injured list and recalled C Sebastian Rivero from Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Rivero had served as the 27th man during Sunday’s doubleheader.
Orioles: Mountcastle was in the lineup as the designated hitter after rolling an ankle while stealing second base in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader. “Watching that again, it didn’t look good,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We dodged a bullet there.”
UP NEXT
Royals: Kansas City’s three-city road trip continues Tuesday at Texas. RHP Brad Keller (1-2, 1.74 ERA) is 0-1 with an 8.71 ERA in three career appearances against the Rangers.
Orioles: RHP Kyle Bradish (0-1, 5.40) will make his third career start and first on the road Tuesday as Baltimore begins a three-game series at St. Louis.
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