Nothing separated the teams through five innings. Then the sixth inning happened, and the Baltimore Orioles were no longer in a game. A five-run outburst — capped by a balk, an infield single, and a ground rule double — turned a 2-2 tie into a comfortable lead that Kansas City never threatened, and the Orioles walked away with an 8-2 win to extend their winning streak to four games.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KC | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
| BAL | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | X | 8 | 12 | 2 |
Leody Taveras was the engine of the Baltimore offense. He went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, accounting for runs in both the second and sixth innings. In the second, his two-run homer to center — 448 feet — gave Baltimore its first lead of the night. In the sixth, his single to center scored Blaze Alexander to break the 2-2 tie and start the rally. Alexander, hitting .312 on the season, crossed the plate twice and reached base three times. Samuel Basallo added a solo home run to center in the seventh, his 16th of the season, to push the final margin to six.
The Sixth Inning
The go-ahead run scored on Taveras's single to center in the sixth, with Alexander coming home. From there, the inning unraveled for Kansas City. Jeremiah Jackson's ground rule double brought in another run. A balk allowed Taveras to score. Gunnar Henderson reached on an infield single to score Jackson. Pete Alonso singled to right to score Henderson, pushing the lead to 7-2. Five runs scored in the inning, and the Royals' bullpen — which allowed 6 runs on the night — could not stop the bleeding. Matt Strahm took the loss, falling to 3-3, after allowing 5 runs on 4 hits in just one-third of an inning, with a 7.18 ERA.
Kansas City had shown early signs of life. Isaac Collins tripled to right in the second to score Josh Rojas and give the Royals a 1-0 lead. Lane Thomas singled to left in the third to score Bobby Witt and tie the game at 2-2. Thomas finished 3-for-4 with an RBI, but the Royals managed nothing after the third inning. Kansas City starter Seth Lugo allowed 2 runs on 4 hits over 4 innings, and the bullpen could not hold the game together once Baltimore's offense found its rhythm. Shane Baz started for Baltimore, striking out 9 over 4.2 innings while allowing 2 runs, 1 earned. Grant Wolfram earned the win in relief, improving to 2-2.
Baltimore improved to 46-51, winners of four straight. Kansas City dropped to 38-59, losers of five in a row.