BALTIMORE (AP) — Kansas City right-hander Yordano Ventura hit Manny Machado with a pitch to spark a bench-emptying fray , and the Baltimore Orioles extended the Royals’ losing streak to a season-high six games with a 9-1 rout Tuesday night.

Mark Trumbo homered and drove in four runs, and the Orioles also got long balls from Ryan Flaherty, Chris Davis and Adam Jones.

But the game’s most striking moment came in the fifth, when Ventura (4-4) drilled Machado in the back with a 99 mph fastball. In the second inning, with Baltimore leading 5-0, the two exchanged words after Ventura twice threw inside to the two-time All-Star.

So in the fifth, an instant after the ball hit him, Machado charged the mound. Ventura prepared for the onslaught by slinging aside his cap and glove, but Machado landed a solid punch before the pitcher tackled him to the ground.

Both dugouts and bullpens emptied before peace was restored. Machado was restrained by teammate Chris Tillman after the initial thrust.

Machado and Ventura were ejected with the score 5-1.

Trumbo greeted reliever Chien-Ming Wang with his major league-leading 20th home run, and Davis followed with a solo shot.

Ubaldo Jimenez (3-6) gave up one run and nine hits over five-plus innings to end a three-game skid.

Baltimore has won six of seven. This was the only victory in that stretch in which the Orioles never trailed.

The Royals stranded 13 and went 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position. It’s been a frustrating losing streak for the defending World Series champions, and Ventura made that clearly apparent with his actions in the fifth inning.

Baltimore opened the bottom of the first with four straight hits and took a 4-0 lead with only one out. The big blow was a two-run double by Trumbo, who scored on a single by Jonathan Schoop. The damage would have been worse if leaping center fielder Lorenzo Cain didn’t reach far over the 7-foot wall to rob Pedro Alvarez of a potential two-run homer.

Flaherty led off the second with his first home run of the season, a drive that traveled an estimated 446 feet before landing on Eutaw Street beyond the right-field wall.

Jimenez, meanwhile, worked out of trouble in each of the first three innings. Then, after issuing a bases-loaded walk to Reymond Fuentes in the fourth, the right-hander got three straight outs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: 3B Cheslor Cuthbert was in the starting lineup after bruising his elbow Monday night on an errant throw by Schoop. … Monday night starter Danny Duffy, drilled in the left calf by a line drive, said Tuesday: “It was a little tender but nothing to write home about.” … OF Alex Gordon (wrist) has started a throwing regimen but there is no timetable for his return.

Orioles: RHP Yovani Gallardo (shoulder tendinitis) allowed three runs and four hits over five innings in his second and perhaps final rehabilitation start. Manager Buck Showalter said Gallardo has lost 11 pounds since going on the DL on April 23.

UP NEXT

Royals: Edinson Volquez (5-5, 4.03 ERA) will attempt to lift Kansas City out of its season-long funk in the series finale Wednesday night.

Orioles: Unbeaten in nine starts since April 14, Tillman (7-1, 3.33 ERA) attempts to complete the three-game sweep for Baltimore.

— Associated Press —

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles’ latest comeback victory featured an intriguing subplot involving a rookie who made the most of his second chance.

Mark Trumbo and Matt Wieters hit solo homers in the seventh inning to back a sparkling pitching performance by Mike Wright, and the Orioles beat Kansas City 4-1 Monday night to extend the Royals’ losing streak to five games.

Manny Machado also homered for the Orioles, who have won five of six — all in come-from-behind fashion.

Wright (3-3) allowed one run and five hits over seven innings, striking out four and walking two. Just five days earlier, the right-hander gave up four home runs in 2 2/3 innings against Boston and was optioned to the minor leagues less than 24 hours later. But he was recalled the next day when reliever Darren O’Day was placed on the disabled list.

The 6-foot-6 Wright was inserted back into the rotation for this game. Given a “do-over” — as manager Buck Showalter labeled it — he shut down the defending World Series champions over seven gritty innings.

“He came out here with a vengeance,” Machado said.

Wright said: “When you get sent down and recalled the next day, I mean, you’ve got to come out and perform. So I definitely had a little more focus and, like he said, a vengeance.”

Wright and Kansas City left-hander Danny Duffy were locked in a scoreless duel until the Royals pushed across an unearned run in the seventh.

Trumbo led off the bottom half with his 19th home run, and Wieters connected with one out to chase Duffy (1-1). Adam Jones capped the uprising with an RBI double.

And so, as they did twice against Boston and two times against the Yankees within the span of a week, the Orioles turned a deficit into a victory.

“Everybody contributes and everybody steps it up,” second baseman Jonathan Schoop said.

Machado homered off Kelvin Herrera in the eighth after striking out three times against Duffy.

Brad Brach struck out the side in the eighth and Zach Britton got three straight outs for his 18th save.

Duffy gave up five hits and matched his career high with nine strikeouts. The first six innings he pitched were marvelous; after that, not so much.

“I felt really, really good. Shame it had to go down like that,” Duffy said. “But I gave it my all for sure. I made a couple mistakes.”

The Royals’ second five-game skid of the season followed a six-game winning streak.

“Our guys are really good at picking themselves up,” manager Ned Yost said. “You understand that you’re going to go through these things.”

Paulo Orlando and Cheslor Cuthbert hit singles in the Kansas City seventh before Jarrod Dyson chopped a grounder to Machado at shortstop. After Schoop got the force out at second base, he changed his mind about throwing to first and tried a pump-fake, hoping to fool Orlando at third. But Schoop released the ball, which bounced off the right elbow of the sliding Cuthbert and rolled away, allowing Orlando to score.

Cuthbert left with a bruised elbow.

“Everything is going to be OK, it just hit my crazy bone,” Cuthbert said.

Earlier, Duffy took a line drive off his left calf but stayed in the game.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Kris Medlen (shoulder) threw batting practice in Arizona “and everything went great,” Yost said. The right-hander will do it again Tuesday in preparation for a rehab assignment. … OF Brett Eibner (ankle) took batting practice with the team. … OF Alex Gordon (wrist) is improving to the point where he can begin to catch and throw, Yost said.

Orioles: RHP Yovani Gallardo (shoulder) will make his second rehab start Tuesday, this time with Triple-A Norfolk. If all goes well, he could be activated Sunday in Toronto. … SS J.J. Hardy (broken left foot) took 25 grounders in Florida. He’s still weeks from returning to action.

UP NEXT

Royals: Yordano Ventura (4-3, 4.82 ERA) pitches the second game of the series Tuesday night. He’s 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA in five career starts against Baltimore.

Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez (2-6, 6.59) seeks to strengthen his shaky spot in the rotation after going 0-3 with 16 walks and a 9.97 ERA in his last five starts.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — The wait was worth it for the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.

“It ended up being a good day, other than it was long,” manager Terry Francona said after his team completed a four-game sweep of the World Series champion Kansas City Royals with a rain-delayed 7-0 victory. “It’s a heck of a lot better when you’re up than when you’re down.”

Francisco Lindor hit one of Cleveland’s four solo homers and drove in three runs. Corey Kluber (5-6) allowed two hits and was pulled after six innings when the game was delayed by inclement weather for 3 hours, 10 minutes.

Lindor, Carlos Santana and rookie Tyler Naquin homered in the fifth. Mike Napoli connected in the fourth.

The Indians moved past the Royals into first place in the AL Central on Saturday. Cleveland has won five straight overall and six of seven against Kansas City this season.

“They were ahead of us,” Napoli said. “You want to win the series, but we put ourselves in a position to sweep. We had a good day today.”

Cleveland swept four games from the Royals for the first time since Aug. 11-14, 2006. The Indians are 18-11 against the AL Central this season.

The game was stopped after Kluber retired the side in the sixth. Heavy rain began to fall at 2:41 p.m. and lasted about an hour. The tarp remained on the field because more rain was expected, but showers didn’t return until around 5 p.m. and fell heavily for about 30 minutes. The game finally resumed at 5:51 p.m.

Kluber, who gave up both hits in the first, struck out six and retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced.

“Obviously, you’d like to keep going when you’re feeling good,” he said. “You pitch the situation to the game. I’m not trying to get innings any quicker because the weather is coming up.”

Chris Young (2-6) allowed all four home runs in his first start since May 9. The Royals managed three hits off three Cleveland pitchers.

Kansas City came into the series with a six-game winning streak, but lost the opener when Cleveland scored two runs in the ninth. The Royals were outscored 20-2 in the final three games.

“It’s one of those weekends,” manager Ned Yost said. “We’re coming off an undefeated homestand where we pitched great. We just didn’t play well here.”

Naquin, who has homered in three straight games, led off the fifth with a drive that landed in the second deck in right field. Santana homered with one out, and Lindor’s home run came with two outs.

Lindor had a sacrifice fly in the first and an RBI single in the seventh.

The Indians hit four home runs in a game for the first time this season. Cleveland last hit three homers in an inning on July 29, 2015.

STRONG FINISH

The Indians began the homestand by losing two of three to Baltimore and Texas. Outfielder Marlon Byrd was suspended 162 games Wednesday for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

The Indians regrouped to win the final five games before starting a 10-game trip in Seattle on Monday.

“I don’t look back very far,” Francona said. “The last game is a hard game to win. Now we turn the page really quick, but the more you win, the more fun and interesting the next game gets.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Brett Eibner (sprained left ankle) took part in running and agility drills in the outfield Sunday morning. He was injured Tuesday and placed on the 15-day disabled list the following day.

Indians: RHP Joba Chamberlain (left intercostal strain) will be activated from the 15-day DL prior to Monday’s game in Seattle.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (1-0) makes his fifth start and 21st appearance in the opener of a three-game series at Baltimore.

Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer (3-2) is winless in five career appearances against Seattle, where Cleveland opens a four-game series.

— Associated Press —