Royals 7, Orioles 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- David Lough and Alex Gordon each drove in two runs, and Jeremy Guthrie picked up his 10th victory of the season as the Kansas City Royals beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-1 Thursday night.
Lough singled home runs in the first and fifth innings, both with two outs. Gordon's triple in the fifth scored Jarrod Dyson, and his sacrifice fly in the second scored Chris Getz.
Billy Butler homered in the seventh inning for the final Kansas City run.
Guthrie (10-7) pitched for the Orioles from 2007-11 and was their Opening Day starter three times. He worked six innings Thursday, allowing one run on six hits while striking out five and walking one.
The Royals improved to 5-2 after the All-Star break.
The Royals scored two runs with two outs in the first on three consecutive hits. Butler doubled down the right field line and scored on Salvador Perez's single to center. Perez went to second on the throw home and scored on Lough's single to right.
Baltimore starter Miguel Gonzalez, who entered the game with a 6-1 record since returning from the disabled list May 21, yielded another run in the second. Getz stroked an opposite-field double, advanced to third on Dyson's bunt single and scored on Gordon's sacrifice fly to center.
The Orioles got a run in the fifth, when Henry Urrutia tripled to right past a diving Lough and scored on Brian Roberts' two-out double to left-center.
A wrong call by third base umpire Bill Miller prevented the Orioles from scoring another run and extending the inning. Nate McLouth drilled an apparent single to left, but Miller ruled Gordon, a two-time Gold Glove outfielder, made a diving catch. Orioles manager Buck Showalter protested, but after the umpires huddled they did not overrule the call. Replays showed the ball clearly hit the turf before Gordon trapped it.
The Royals padded their lead with a three-run fifth and chased Gonzalez. Gordon laced a run-producing triple, while Hosmer and Lough contributed RBI singles.
Gonzalez (8-4) yielded six runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season. He had thrown eight consecutive quality starts (at least six innings, no more than three runs).
NOTES: Hall of Famer George Brett resigned as the Royals' interim hitting coach, a role he accepted on May 30. Pedro Grifol, who was assisting Brett, was promoted to the head hitting coach. ... Orioles 3B Manny Machado, who began the day leading the majors with 39 doubles, had only one double in his previous 19 games. ... Baltimore RHP Steve Johnson, who went on the disabled list June 6 with a strained left oblique, made a rehab start Wednesday for short-season Class A Aberdeen. He allowed two runs on three hits, including a home run, walked one and struck out four in 2 1/3 innings. ... Royals RHP Felipe Paulino, who had Tommy John surgery in July 2012, threw a two-inning simulated game, 15 pitches in each inning.
