Kris Bubic threw five shutout innings and three relievers completed the six-hitter in the Royals’ 4-0 victory against the host Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.
Cavan Biggio, Kyle Isbel and Vinnie Pasquantino all hit solo home runs as the Royals won for the 10th time in 12 games. Maikel Garci went 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Daniel Lynch IV, Lucas Erceg and John Schreiber worked in relief of Bubic (3-2), who gave up four singles, issued a walk and struck out three during his 72-pitch outing. Lynch logged two innings, while Erceg struck out two of the four batters he faced.
Gunnar Henderson had half of Baltimore’s hits. The Orioles, who dropped to 8-8 in home games, were without an extra-base hit. They grounded into a double play and stranded seven runners on base.
Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano (3-2) took the loss, charged with two runs in six innings.
The Royals got on the board in the fourth on Garcia’s run-scoring single with two outs. That was Kansas City’s lone hit in six opportunities with a runner in scoring position.
Biggio hit his first home run of the season in the fifth.
After Bryan Baker threw a scoreless seventh inning out of the Baltimore bullpen, Isbel and Pasquantino homered off Seranthony Dominguez in the eighth. It was Isbel’s second homer this year and Pasquantino’s fifth.
Jonathan India had a double, as half of Kansas City’s eight hits went for extra bases.
Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. went 0-for-4 for his second game in a row without a hit after beginning the series on a 22-game hitting streak.
The game entered a rain delay in the top of the second inning with no score. Play resumed about an hour later.
The teams have traded shutouts across the first two games of the series, with the rubber match set for Sunday afternoon.
–Field Level Media