BALTIMORE (AP) — The two newest members of the Baltimore Orioles did exactly what they were brought in to do: help the team win.

Baltimore fans can only hope Jeremy Hellickson and Tim Beckham do that consistently enough to carry the Orioles into the postseason.

Hellickson threw seven outstanding innings in his Baltimore debut, Beckham had two extra-base hits and two RBI and the Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals 6-0 Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.

The Orioles’ five-game winning streak is their longest since early May, and they now stand just 2 1/2 games behind Kansas City for the second AL wild-card slot.

Hellickson (1-0) was obtained Saturday from Philadelphia, the first of two significant trades by the Orioles to fortify the roster for a potential playoff run. The right-hander paid immediate returns, limiting Kansas City to five hits, issuing one walk and allowing only one runner to reach third base.

“I’ve been traded before, just not in season to a team that is playing as well as we are, that has a chance to make the playoffs,” Hellickson said. “It’s always good to throw a good one your first time out with a new team.”

After going 6-5 with the Phillies, Hellickson turned in his best performance of the season to earn his second win in 12 starts since May 19.

He received offensive backing from Beckham, acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay on Monday just before the non-waiver trade deadline expired.

“I’m happy to be here, happy they believe in me,” the shortstop said. “We got a great club here, man, great club, love the energy, love the team camaraderie. It’s going to be a fun ride.”

The Royals had won 10 of 11 before coming up flat at Camden Yards, scoring only three runs in 27 innings.

“We definitely didn’t hit the ball well in this series,” said Mike Moustakas, who came in with 30 home runs. “They pitched the ball great and we just didn’t have any offense going.”

The Royals showed their frustration in the ninth inning, when Moustakas was tossed after complaining about a third-strike call and manager Ned Yost was ejected for joining the argument.

“That pitch was nowhere close to being a strike,” Yost insisted.

Baltimore went up 3-0 in the second inning against Jason Vargas (13-5) when Beckham doubled in a run and Caleb Joseph followed with a two-out drive into the left-field seats.

After Hellickson retired the first two batters in the third, a sudden rain shower forced a 35-minute delay. When play resumed, Hellickson gave up a single and hit a batter before retiring Eric Hosmer on a fly ball.

It would be the only time until the sixth inning that Kansas City got a runner to second base.

In the sixth, Melky Cabrera drew a leadoff walk and went to third on a double by Hosmer. Hellickson then caught a popup by Salvador Perez, struck out Moustakas and retired Jorge Bonifacio on a weak grounder to first.

Baltimore made it 6-0 in the eighth when Chris Davis doubled in two runs and scored on a triple by Beckham .

HOUSE OF PAIN

Kansas City was swept in three games at Camden Yards last year, too, and has dropped seven straight in Baltimore since Aug. 26, 2015.

MUST BE THE SHOES

After being traded from Tampa Bay to Baltimore, Beckham had to be fitted for a uniform Tuesday. His shoes, however, were already taken care of.

“It’s funny. I don’t care how many times a guy gets moved, the shoe company will catch up with him,” manager Buck Showalter said. “There were about four or five boxes there, and I’m thinking, `Wow, that’s pretty quick.’ God forbid, you go out there in blue shoes on an orange and black team.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: CF Lorenzo Cain was excluded from the starting lineup after tweaking his hamstring running for a ball in the gap Tuesday night.

Orioles: INF Ryan Flaherty (shoulder) went 2 for 4 with a walk for Class A Frederick against Myrtle Beach on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Trevor Cahill makes his second start since being acquired in a July 23 trade with San Diego, facing Seattle at home Thursday night. He allowed five runs over four innings in his debut vs. Boston last Saturday.

Orioles: Chris Tillman (1-6, 7.65) helps open a four-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers. He’s winless in 13 consecutive starts.

— Associated Press —

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maybe the Baltimore Orioles got this trade deadline thing right, after all.

Dylan Bundy allowed three hits over a career-high eight innings, newcomer Tim Beckham had two hits and scored twice and the resurgent Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals 7-2 Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.

The winning streak began over the weekend and gained momentum late Monday after the front office decided to be buyers at the non-waiver trade deadline, obtaining Beckham from Tampa Bay for a minor league pitcher.

The acquisition of Beckham followed the trade for right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, who will start Wednesday night. Although the Orioles still have some distance to make up in the AL East and the wild-card race, they’re within two games of .500 (52-54) for the first time since July 3.

“A couple more days and I might start looking at the standings again,” manager Buck Showalter said. “So, we’ll see. So far so good. Until we take care of our business, it doesn’t matter where we are in the standings.”

If Baltimore is to make a serious move, it will need more pitching performances like the one it got from Bundy (10-8). The right-hander struck out five, walked one and retired the last 13 batters he faced.

Bundy did not pitch more than seven innings in any of his previous 34 major league starts. All three hits he allowed were singles — none after the third inning — and the only run he surrendered was unearned.

“Dylan was outstanding,” Showalter said. “That was fun to watch.”

Seth Smith drove in three runs and Manny Machado had three hits for the Orioles, who pulled within 3 1/2 games of the Royals for the final AL wild-card spot.

Kansas City will seek to avoid a three-game sweep on Wednesday. The Royals came to town having won 10 of 11, but they’ve only scored three runs in these two games at Camden Yards.

“We have to do a better job of getting pitches in the zone and capitalizing,” said Whit Merrifield, who had one of KC’s two RBI .

Ian Kennedy (4-7) gave up four runs and eight hits in four-plus innings. He was 4-0 in nine starts since June 5.

“The down-and-away fastball was not working and I had to go to something else and try to get outs,” Kennedy said. “What really hurt me was getting deep in counts.”

Making his debut with Baltimore on Tuesday after playing his first 238 major league games with the Rays, Beckham singled and scored in the fifth inning and doubled in the seventh before coming home on a single by Smith.

Baltimore took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, bunching together four straight hits — including an RBI single by Jonathan Schoop and a run-scoring double by rookie Trey Mancini .

After Kansas City scored in the third, Adam Jones made it 3-1 in the fourth with a two-out RBI single.

BUCK AND EARL

The victory was the 1,481st of Showalter’s career, pushing him into sole possession of 24th place on the all-time list ahead of former Orioles manager Earl Weaver.

CASH CONSIDERATIONS

Playing in his second game for KC since being traded from the White Sox, Melky Cabrera went 1 for 4. Chicago will send $2,663,934 to the Royals on Sept. 1, covering a little more than half the $5,081,967 remaining in Cabrera’s $15 million salary this year.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: INF Cheslor Cuthbert (left wrist sprain) resumed his rehabilitation assignment Tuesday, going 1 for 5 with a solo home run for Triple-A Omaha while playing the full game at third base. It was Cuthbert’s first action since July 25. In 10 games at Omaha, Cuthbert is hitting .211 with two homers and four RBI.

Orioles: An MRI on Mark Trumbo’s oblique strain provided “very positive news,” Showalter said, adding that the slugger might be ready to come off the DL after a 10-day stay.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas (13-4, 3.00 ERA), who has not lost in his last five road starts, pitches Wednesday night in the series finale.

Orioles: Hellickson makes his Orioles debut after being traded from Philadelphia. He’s 3-2 with a 5.01 ERA in nine career appearances at Camden Yards.

— Associated Press —

BALTIMORE (AP) — Rather than dismantle the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline, Dan Duquette worked diligently to improve the club.

Appreciative of his confidence, the Orioles backed up his effort with a rousing 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

Craig Gentry singled home the winning run in the ninth inning, and closer Zach Britton — who was rumored headed out of town hours earlier — got three outs to earn the win.

Baltimore started the day with a 50-54 record, but Duquette, the team’s executive vice president of baseball operations, believes the team can be a contender. He beat the non-waiver trade deadline by obtaining infielder Tim Beckham from Tampa Bay, three days after snagging right-hander Jeremy Hellickson from Philadelphia.

“We still have some hope that we can make the playoffs,” Duquette said, hours before the Orioles extended their modest winning streak to three games.

Caleb Joseph got Baltimore going in the ninth with a one-out single off Joakim Soria (4-3). Ruben Tejada singled with two outs before Gentry hit a grounder up the middle that sent Joseph home from second base without a throw.

“We feel good about ourselves,” Joseph said. “Maybe some of the fans have left, but we still believe in ourselves, 100 percent.”

By keeping Britton (1-0), who has converted an AL-record 57 straight saves, Duquette showed his faith in this team.

“I’ve played with Zach since `09, so even the thought of not playing with him is not fun,” Joseph said.

Knowing he was going to be sticking around with the only team he’s ever been a part of, Britton walked to the mound in the ninth with a clear head.

“You get some things off your mind that shouldn’t be there and just focus on pitching,” the lefty said.

It was the second loss in 12 games for the Royals, who managed only five hits off three Baltimore pitchers.

The first seven innings featured a pitching duel between Kansas City’s Danny Duffy and Ubaldo Jimenez, both of whom allowed one run and struck out six.

“I just grinded through that outing,” Duffy said. “I felt like I had really good stuff but I didn’t pitch very well. That was the least impressive seven-inning, one-run outing I’ve ever had.”

Jimenez came in with a 6.93 ERA, but on this night he was exceptionally sharp.

`If he’s not on, we get him,” manager Ned Yost said. “We couldn’t get him. Couldn’t do much against him.”

Kansas City used first-inning doubles by Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer to jump to a 1-0 lead.

Jimenez settled down after that, and Baltimore pulled even in the fifth when Manny Machado doubled and scored on a two-out single by Jonathan Schoop .

Though quiet on the final day of the trade deadline, the Royals welcomed back Melky Cabrera, who made his 2017 debut with Kansas City after being acquired from the White Sox on Sunday.

Playing right field and batting third, Cabrera went 0 for 4.

HOLE IN ONE

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis was charged with an error when he failed to handle a throw in the ninth inning from Machado at third. Turns out, the ball went right through the faulty webbing of Davis’ glove. He immediately got a new glove.

HAPPY HOMECOMING

Cabrera said he’s “really happy” to return to the pennant-contending Royals, whom he played for in 2011. “What I love to do is play postseason baseball,” the 13-year veteran said through an interpreter. Yost said Cabrera, a switch-hitter, “brings a great personality to a locker room filed with great personalities. He’s going to mesh perfectly with our group.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Yost is optimistic third-baseman Cheslor Cuthbert (wrist) can return to his rehab assignment sometime this week after fouling a ball off his foot.

Orioles: DH Mark Trumbo was placed on the 10-day disabled list with an oblique injury. He played in Baltimore’s first 103 games before sitting on Sunday. … SS J.J. Hardy (wrist) was transferred to the 60-day DL.

UP NEXT

Royals: Ian Kennedy (4-6, 4.43 ERA) seeks his fifth straight victory in the second game of the series Tuesday night.

Orioles: Dylan Bundy (9-8, 4.53 ERA) can match his win total of last season with a victory.

— Associated Press —