Dave Riggert – Page 920 – St. Joseph Post Archive

St. Louis’ Miller retires 27 straight in 3-0 win against Rockies

Posted on May 10, 2013May 10, 2013

Shelby Miller gave up a leadoff single then retired 27 in a row for his first career complete game, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Eric Young Jr. had a line drive hit to right field to start the game for the Rockies but Miller (5-2) gave up nothing else in his first shutout. The right-hander struck out Young to end it with his 13th K, tying a Cardinals rookie record.

The one-hitter was the fewest hits allowed by a Cardinals pitcher since Bud Smith tossed a no-hitter on Sept. 3, 2001, and it was the second one-hitter of the night in the major leagues. Boston’s Jon Lester was perfect until he allowed a two-out double in the sixth against Toronto.

In a near-perfect performance, Miller threw 113 pitches.

Miller lowered his ERA to 1.39, which is the lowest for a Cardinals pitcher in his first eight starts since Howie Pollet had a 2.09 ERA in his first eight in 1941.

Carlos Beltran hit a solo homer – his ninth – for St. Louis. Pete Kozma added an RBI single and Jon Jay a sacrifice fly for the Cardinals, who are National League-best 22-12.

Yadier Molina had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, which is the longest for a Cardinal this season.

Rockies starter Jon Garland (2-3) gave up all three runs in five innings. Garland allowed seven hits and three walks while striking out five.

Garland retired the first five batters he faced before Jay singled to center with two outs in the second. David Freese walked, and Kozma drove home Jay with a single to left.

Beltran made it 2-0 when he hit Garland’s first pitch of the third inning 409 feet into the seats in right. Jay gave the Cardinals a three-run cushion with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

— Associated Press —

MWSU’s Roemmich named to NFCA Central Region second team

Posted on May 10, 2013May 10, 2013

Missouri Western senior outfielder Meagan Roemmich has been named to the NFCA Central Region Second team which was released Friday afternoon. This is the first time in her career that she has earned this honor. She was also a First Team All-MIAA selection this season.

Roemmich started all 54 games this season for the Griffons and batted a team-high .404. Roemmich scored 39 runs and had a team-high 65 hits in 2013. The senior finished the season with seven doubles and a career-high 11 home runs. She finished with 44 RBI and a .652 slug percentage. In the MIAA alone, she had a .464 batting average with eight home runs.

Roemmich has played three different positions for the Griffons in her four years. She played third base her first two seasons before moving to the outfield. As a junior she played right field and this season she was moved to center field. Roemmich was a three time All-MIAA performer being named to the first team twice (2013, 2012) and second team once (2011). She finished her career with a .335 batting average with 212 hits, scored 122 runs and had 97 RBI. She also had 26 doubles and and 16 home runs.

The Griffons finished the 2013 season with a 38-16 overall record and finished third in the MIAA with 20-8 record.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Kansas City signs draft picks Kush & Catapano

Posted on May 10, 2013

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Friday that the club has signed two of its eight draft picks from the 2013 class, offensive lineman Eric Kush and linebacker Mike Catapano. Additionally, the Chiefs inked 13 college free agents.

Kush (6-4, 313) was selected as Kansas City’s first of two sixth-round picks (170th Overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft. Kush played collegiately at California University of Pennsylvania where he appeared in 49 games (31 starts) on the offensive line for the Vulcans. A three year starter, he primarily served as the school’s center. Kush became the highest ever player to be drafted from California (Pa.). Kush prepped at Chartiers Valley High School in Bridgeville, Pa.

Catapano (6-4, 270) was selected as the Chiefs seventh-round pick (207th overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft. He was a three-time All-Ivy League defensive end at Princeton where he recorded 145 tackles (60 solo), 29 tackles for loss, 19.0 sacks (-129.0 yards), four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 13 pass breakups. The Bayville, N.Y., native prepped at Chaminade High School.

The following college free agents have officially signed with the club: Tyler Bray, Darin Drakeford, Otha Foster, Frankie Hammond, Demetrius Harris, A.J. Hawkins, Colin Kelly, Rob Lohr, Brad Madison, Josh Martin, Brad McDougald, Rico Richardson and Ridge Wilson.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Griffons knock off Central Oklahoma to advance at MIAA Tournament

Posted on May 9, 2013May 9, 2013

The Missouri Western baseball team scored runs in the first four innings claiming a 9-3 victory over the Central Oklahoma Bronchos in the first round of the MIAA Baseball Championships.

The Griffons improve to 38-8 overall and broke the record for most victories in a season which was set back in 1974 (37). Also, with the victory head coach Buzz Verduzco won his 400th career game.

Western got on the board in the first inning when MIAA Player of the Year Michael Schulze double to right field and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Simpson. Schulze’s hit broke the record for most hits in a season. He now has 84 breaking Ryan Zenn’s record of 81 which was set back in 2006. Later in the inning Spencer Shockley singled up the middle scoring Nate Ramler giving MWSU the 2-0 lead after one.

In the second inning, the Griffons got three more runs when Bubba Dotson blasted his 13th homer of the season giving the Griffons a 5-0 lead after two.

In the fourth, Shawn Egge doubled in Jake Schrader and in the fourth Nate Ramler gave Missouri Western a 7-0 lead scoring on a wild pitch.

The Bronchos scored their only run in the sixth when Cameron Mavroulis doubled and scored on a Cesar Wong single cutting the Griffon lead to 7-1.

The Griffons got RBI singles by Egge and Schulze in the eighth giving MWSU a 9-1 lead before the Bronchos got two in the ninth on a Matt Johnson homer cutting the Western lead to 9-3. Logan Hollingsworth came into get the last out with the bases loaded to help MWSU advance.

MWSU’s Brandon Simmons went eight innings giving up just four hits while striking out five. He forced the Bronchos into two double plays and 11 ground outs. He improves to 11-0 on the season.

The Griffons had 12 hits in the game with Schulze getting three and Ramler and Egge each getting two.

Edgar Lopez got the loss going just 2.1 innings giving up eight hits and five earned runs. The Bronchos had eight hits with Wong going 3-for-3. UCO falls to 30-18 on the season.

Missouri Western will play Missouri Southern on Friday, May 10 at 11:00 am at Community America Ballpark and you can listen to the game on ESPN 1550 AM and 1550espn.com.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Royals hit three home runs in 6-2 win at Baltimore

Posted on May 9, 2013May 9, 2013

Jeremy Guthrie’s incentive to win had nothing to do with beating his former team.

The right-hander was far more interested in helping the Kansas City Royals maintain the momentum they generated during the first five weeks of the season, and in that regard, his outing against the Baltimore Orioles was a success.

Guthrie allowed one earned run in six innings, and the Royals hit a season-high three homers in a 6-2 victory Thursday night.

Facing the Orioles for the first time since they traded him to Colorado in February 2012, Guthrie (5-0) gave up seven hits and three walks while lowering his ERA to 2.28.

During his five seasons with Baltimore, Guthrie won 47 games and started three times on opening day. In his return to Camden Yards, his focus was entirely on helping the Royals end a three-game skid.

”I was just trying to win the game,” Guthrie said. ”We had a nice April and we’re trying to stay consistent here and compete against good teams.”

And pitching against Baltimore?

”I think someone else put it this way: We’ve turned the page,” Guthrie said.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said exactly that.

”I didn’t pay much attention to that part of it,” Showalter said. ”We’ve kind of turned the page.”

After going 3-9 with Colorado, Guthrie has been a star for the Royals since his arrival last July. He’s 10-0 since Aug. 8 and has gone a franchise-record 18 straight starts without a loss. This outing was more of the same.

”I executed a few pitches, made a couple mistakes,” he said. ”But our offense did what we’ve been doing all year when I’ve been out there – score big runs, tack on a couple of extra ones.”

Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer both connected against Freddy Garcia (0-1) with a runner on in the fourth inning to put Kansas City up 4-0. It was Gordon’s third home run in three games and Hosmer’s first in 145 at-bats dating to last year.

Mike Moustakas homered in the seventh to make it 5-2. The Royals came in with an AL-low 19 home runs, so the three long balls served as a rare power surge.

”We broke out and hit some homers,” manager Ned Yost said. ”(Hosmer) got on the board with a homer. Alex is swinging the bat really well. And Moose did a great job, left-on-left, hitting a slider. Good to see that.”

Chris Davis homered for the Orioles, whose season-high run of four straight wins ended. It was the fourth time this year that Baltimore missed a sweep by losing the final game of a series.

Making his second start with the Orioles, Garcia gave up four runs, five hits and a walk in six innings.

”I felt pretty good,” the right-hander said. ”One bad inning, two bad pitches. I was behind in the count to both hitters and I gave up two home runs, five runs. I was trying to do my best and tried to keep the guys in the game. That’s all I can do.”

Baltimore got an unearned run in the second inning, courtesy of shortstop Alcides Escobar’s third error in two games. After Escobar’s poor throw enabled Adam Jones to reach first, Matt Wieters singled and J.J. Hardy drove in a run with a bloop single to center.

It was the first time in three starts that Guthrie gave up a run. He was coming off his first career shutout, a four-hitter against the White Sox

Garcia retired the first 10 batters he faced, a streak that ended when Lorenzo Cain got an infield single with one out in the fourth. Gordon followed with a shot over the right-field scoreboard, and after Billy Butler singled, Hosmer hit an opposite-field drive into the left-field seats – his first homer since Sept. 11.

”It was definitely a sigh of relief,” Hosmer said. ”I knew it was a pretty long time. I wasn’t too worried about it. I just wanted to stay with my approach and try to stay through the middle and not miss good pitches.”

Davis got the Orioles to 4-2 in the bottom half with his 10th home run.

Moustakas greeted rookie reliever T.J. McFarland with a leadoff homer in the seventh. Moustakas also homered on Wednesday night.

— Associated Press —

Simmons, Schulze & Verduzco earn top honors from the MIAA; Ten Griffons named All-MIAA

Posted on May 9, 2013May 9, 2013

The Missouri Western baseball team had 10 players and a coach earn recognition from the MIAA for their accomplishments this season. Junior shortstop Michael Schulze was named Player of the Year, senior pitcher Brandon Simmons was named Pitcher of the Year and head coach Buzz Verduzco was named Coach of the Year.

The Griffons had five players selected to the First Team All-MIAA. Senior pitcher Brandon Simmons earned first team for the second time in his career. Senior second baseman Jimmy Smelcer, junior shortstop Michael Schulze, senior outfielder Bubba Dotson and senior third baseman Grant Fink all earned this honor for the first time in their careers.

Senior outfielder Kyle Simpson was the only Griffon on the second team while senior releif pitcher Logan Hollingsworth, junior catcher Jake Schrader, senior first baseman Spencer Shockley and senior utility player Nate Ramler were all named to the honorable mention team.

Head Coach Buzz Verduzco earned MIAA Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. Verduzco guided the Griffons to their first ever MIAA Regular Season Championship tying a school record with 37 wins. He also guided the Griffons to a MWSU record 17 game winning streak and to a 30 win season for the 7th time in his career. Verduzco is one win away from 400 in his career as he holds a 399-303 record in 14 seasons at MWSU. Verduzco’s team garnered its highest ranking in the baseball polls this season as they climbed to as high as 4th in the nation.

Brandon Simmons becomes the Griffons first ever MIAA Pitcher of the Year selection and earnes his second First Team All-MIAA honor. Simmons has been outstanding this season sitting with an unblemmished record at 10-0. Simmons has won 10 or more games twich and broke the MIAA and MWSU record for wins in a career. He currently has won 34 games. Simmons sits third in the MWSU record book in strikeouts with 221 and complete games with 19. On the season Simmons has started and appeared in 11 games with three complete games. He holds a 2.80 ERA in 64.1 innings pitched. He has given up just 20 earned runs with 45 strikeouts and 12 walks.

Michael Schulzes becomes the Griffons first ever MIAA Player of the Year and earns his first First Team All-MIAA honor. Schulze has been outstanding this season leading the Griffons with a .445 batting average which is secone in the MIAA and fourth in the nation. Schulze has played and started all 45 games for the Griffons this season. He has a hit in 42 of those 45 games and earlier this season he had a 21 game hitting streak. Schulze is tied for the MWSU single season record for hits with 81 and is one run scored away from tying the record of 64. Schulze leads the team with 63 runs scored and has stolen 16 bases. Schulze had 14 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 43 RBI and has struckout just 10 times in 182 at bats. Schulze was MIAA Hitter of the Week on March 19, 2013.

Jimmy Smelcer earns First Team All-MIAA honors for the first time in his career. Smelcer is hitting .351 with a slugging percentage of .500 and an on base percentage of .364. Smelcer has played in 42 games with 41 starts. He had 54 hits with 11, doubles, four home runs and 28 RBI. Smelcer had a 13 game hitting streak earlier this season.

Grant Fink earnes First Team All-MIAA honors for the first time in his career after earning Second Team honors a season ago. Fink finished the season second on the team with a .410 batting average. He leads the team with a .735 slugging percentage and 13 home runs. He has 68 hits to go along with 36 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples and 49 RBI. Fink has a hit in 37 of the 45 games he has played in which included a 20 game hitting streak.

Bubba Dotson earnes First Team All-MIAA honors for the first time in his career after hitting .377 with 12 home runs. He hit three grand slams on the season and is second on the team in RBI with 53. Dotson is also second on the team in stolen bases with 11 and has hit 13 doubles and three triples. Dotson has 63 hits to go with 54 runs scored and a .707 slugging percentage. Dotson was named MIAA Hitter of the Week on March 12, 2013.

Kyle Simpson was selected to the All-MIAA Second Team for his performance this past season. Simpson leads the high powered Griffons with 56 RBI which is three away from tying a single season record. Simpson is hitting .382 with 66 hits, 13 doubles, one triple and four home runs. Simpson has struckout just 14 times in 173 at bats and has a hit in 34 of the 45 games he has played in. He had an 11 game hitting streak earlier this season and was name MIAA Hitter of the Week on February 19, 2013.

The Griffons return to action on Thursday, May 9 with an MIAA Tournament game against the University of Central Oklahoma at 11:00 am in Kansas City, Kan. The game is being played at Community America Ballpark.

Player of the Year: Michael Schulze, SS, Missouri Western
Pitcher of the Year: Brandon Simmons, P, Missouri Western
Freshman of the Year: Anthony Pacheco, OF, Nebraska-Kearney
Coach of the Year: Buzz Verduzco, Missouri Western

First Team
Starting Pitcher: Edgar Lopez, Sr., Central Oklahoma
Starting Pitcher: Matt Stalcup, Sr., Pittsburg State
Starting Pitcher: Brandon Simmons, Sr., Missouri Western
Relief Pitcher: Andrew Urban, Sr., Central Missouri
Catcher: Chase Graskewicz, Sr., Central Missouri
First Base: Mike Failoni, Jr., Lindenwood**
Second Base: Jimmy Smelcer, Sr., Missouri Western
Shortstop: Michael Schulze, Jr., Missouri Western**
Third Base: Grant Fink, Sr., Missouri Western**
Outfield: Cody Robinson, Jr., Northeastern State
Outfield: Kevin Gratza, Jr., Central Missouri
Outfield: Bubba Dotson, Sr., Missouri Western
Designated Hitter: Horace Johnson, Jr., Fort Hays State
Utility: Brian Wuest, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
**= Unanimous Selection

Second Team
Starting Pitcher: Travis Higgs, Jr., Central Missouri
Starting Pitcher: Dakota McKaskle, Jr., Emporia State
Starting Pitcher: Brett Abell, Sr., Missouri Southern
Relief Pitcher: Trevor Walch, Sr., Northeastern State
Catcher: Sam Ryan, Sr., Missouri Southern
First Base: John Oropeza, Sr., Central Missouri
Second Base: Michael McCoy, Sr., Missouri Southern
Shortstop: Samuel Domingue, Sr., Central Missouri
Third Base: Eric Dawson, Sr., Emporia State
Outfield: Aaron Rea, Sr., Emporia State
Outfield: Kyle Simpson, Sr., Missouri Western
Outfield: Ryan Abernathy, Jr., Northwest Missouri
Designated Hitter: Eric McGlauflin, Jr., Northwest Missouri
Utility: Kyle Grieshaber, Sr., Central Missouri

Honorable Mention

Starting Pitcher – Ethan Sharp, Central Oklahoma; Tayler Davis, Fort Hays State; Ryan Bates, Missouri Southern; Payton Walker, Missouri Southern; Ryker Fox, Northwest Missouri; George Brandecker, Pittsburg State; Taylor Gentry, Washburn

Relief Pitcher – Jake Heissler, Central Missouri; Logan Hollingsworth, Missouri Western; Ryan McKay, Pittsburg State

Catcher – Mike Wilson, Lindenwood; Jake Schrader, Missouri Western; David Weber, Northeastern State; Jacoby Martin, Pittsburg State

First Base – Spencer Shockley, Missouri Western; Ryan Bilovesky, Pittsburg State; Paul Trenhaile, Truman

Second Base – Jon Cotter, Central Missouri; Blake Sturgeon, Emporia State; Chris Santoscoy, Fort Hays State; Landon Young, Southwest Baptist; Taylor Herrington, Washburn

Shortstop – Cesar Wong, Central Oklahoma; Nathan Pridle, Lindenwood; Kegan Knight, Northeastern State

Third Base – Matt Johnson, Central Oklahoma; Brad Foss, Pittsburg State

Outfield – Tyler Crabtree, Central Oklahoma; Jared Wright, Central Oklahoma; Brad Wilson, Central Missouri; Jordan Slade, Emporia State; Clayton Garland, Fort Hays State; Jordan Miller, Fort Hays State; Colby Shepherd, Lincoln; Wade Rothermich, Lindenwood; Will Wagner, Missouri Southern; Anthony Pacheco, Nebraska-Kearney; Kyle Singleton, Northeastern State; Tory Stoffregen, Pittsburg State; Ryan Ventura, Pittsburg State; Corban Williams, Truman; Parker Gibson, Washburn

Designated Hitter – Matt Malloy, Central Oklahoma

Utility – Ryan Busboom, Fort Hays State; Dallas Burke, Missouri Southern; Nate Ramler, Missouri Western; Blake Marino, Truman

— MWSU Sports Information —

Three Northwest baseball players earn All-MIAA honors

Posted on May 9, 2013May 9, 2013

A trio of Northwest Missouri State baseball players were honored Thursday earning All-MIAA accolades as announced by the league office.

Outfielder Ryan Abernathy was tabbed second-team all-conference as Eric McGlauflin also earned second-team honors at designated hitter. Junior pitcher, Ryker Fox, joined the duo earning Honorable Mention accolades as a starting pitcher for the Bearcats.

Abernathy hit .319 and finished in the top 10 in the MIAA in runs scored (50), triples (3), walks (27) and stolen bases (14). The junior also led the Bearcats in hits with 58 and doubles with 13. A native of Chesterfield, Mo., Abernathy was a first-team selection last year.

McGlauflin was a second-team pick after earning Honorable Mention honors a year ago. The designated hitter finished with a .301 batting average and a .454 slugging percentage while driving in 33 runs.

Fox finished with a 5-5 record in his first season with the Bearcats after making 12 appearances in 61 innings pitched. The junior tallied a 3.98 ERA with a team-high 47 strikeouts as he added two complete game shutouts on the season.

— Northwest Media Relations —

Griffons stay No. 3 in Central Regional rankings

Posted on May 8, 2013May 8, 2013

The Missouri Western baseball team still sits 3rd in the third Central Region poll which was released Wednesday, May 8. The Grriffons won their first ever MIAA Regular Season Title this season and will compete in the final four of the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, Kan. this weekend. MWSU is 37-8 overall.

The top six teams earn a regional bid with the highest seed hosting a double elimination tournament. Missouri Western has made just one NCAA Regional in history which was back in 2006.

The only other MIAA school in the top eight is the University of Central Missouri who sits second in the region.

The Griffons open up the final four double elimination tournament on Thursday, May 9 against the Central Oklahoma Bronchos. Game time is set for 11:00 am from Community America Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan.

CENTRAL REGION STANDINGS
1 Minnesota State-Mankato
2 Central Missouri
3 Missouri Western State
4 Southern Arkansas
5 St. Cloud State
6 Southwestern Oklahoma State
7 Arkansas Tech
8 Augustana (SD)

— Northwest Sports Information —

Bearcat tennis falls to Concordia in round of 16

Posted on May 8, 2013May 8, 2013

The Northwest Missouri State men’s tennis team saw its season come to an end Wednesday as the 24th-ranked Bearcats fell 5-1 to 6th-ranked Concordia (N.Y.) in the Round of 16.

The Bearcats close their season at 20-4 overall, marking the sixth 20-win season in Northwest history. It was also the eighth straight NCAA tournament appearance for Northwest and the fifth Round of 16 appearance in school history.

Northwest grabbed its only point of the morning in a hard fought match at No. 1 doubles. The dynamic duo of freshman Sergio De Vilchez and Lluis Altimires knocked off 6th-ranked Andrey Boldarev and Daniele Piludu, 8-5.

Points from there would be hard to come by for the Bearcats as Concordia took a 2-1 lead after doubles with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.

Concordia got a win from the 12th-ranked singles player, Daniele Piludu, who took a 6-0, 6-0 win over Rafael Bugiga at No. 2 singles.

The Clippers also earned wins at No. 4 and No. 5 singles to claim the 5-1 victory.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Kansas City falls to Orioles for third straight loss

Posted on May 8, 2013May 8, 2013

The Baltimore Orioles boldly ran the bases without fear of being caught, and Kansas City couldn’t do a thing about it.

A comedy of errors ensued, and the Orioles escaped with a 5-3 victory Thursday night despite allowing two home runs and getting only five hits.

J.J. Hardy homered and Manny Machado scored a run and hit an RBI single for the Orioles, whose season-high fourth consecutive win moved them eight games over .500 (21-13) for the first time this year.

”We’re playing good baseball right now,” said Hardy, whose two-run drive in the second inning put Baltimore ahead for good.

But the game was decided in the fifth, when the Orioles went up 5-1 with a three-run uprising fueled by three Kansas City errors and a wild pitch.

After Chris Dickerson hit a leadoff double, shortstop Alcides Escobar grabbed Nate McLouth’s sharp grounder and tried to get Dickerson at third, but the throw hit Dickerson to put runners at the corners.

McLouth promptly stole second, and Machado followed with a single to bring home Dickerson. Machado then stole second, and McLouth came home after Escobar couldn’t handle the poor throw from catcher George Kottaras. Escobar’s throw home was also off target, allowing Machado to take third, and he scored when starter Luis Mendoza uncorked a wild pitch.

”When we can pick up on errors like that, it’s huge,” Machado said. ”That brings up the momentum for us and brings it down for them. That’s baseball.”

The way Royals manager Ned Yost saw it, the first bad throw laid the groundwork for the miscues that followed.

”The key to that inning was if Escy just takes the out at first, they only get one run,” Yost said. ”He tried to make a play, tried to keep it close to him by going to third. He just threw low and hit him in the back of the spike and that got a rally going. Now you got (runners at) first and third instead of just a runner at third. Then they start taking off and everything falls apart.”

Escobar lamented both his poor throws, saying, ”I can’t believe that I made stupid errors like that.”

Baltimore has been outhit in each of its past three games, including 7-5 in this one. The Orioles are 3-6 when outhit by their opponent.

”You know, at the end of the day, it’s whoever scores the most runs, so we made key hits today,” Machado said. ”We had key hits from J.J. on that home run. Myself driving in that run. . Our goal is to get on base and get deep into counts and bring in those runs when they get on.”

Chris Tillman (3-1) allowed three runs and five hits in six innings to win his third straight start. The right-hander came in 0-2 with a 10.93 ERA in three career starts against the Royals.

Troy Patton pitched the seventh, Darren O’Day and Brian Matusz worked the eighth and Jim Johnson got three outs for his 13th save.

Johnson has converted 34 straight save opportunities, tying the club record set by Randy Myers in 1997.

”It’s good, obviously, but that’s a secondary goal of mine,” Johnson said. ”Obviously winning the game is always the first objective.”

Alex Gordon hit his second home run in two games and Mike Moustakas went 3 for 4 with a homer for Kansas City.

Mendoza (0-2) gave up five runs, three earned, and five hits in six innings.

Baltimore took a 2-0 lead in the second when Matt Wieters led off with a single and Hardy followed with a drive just inside the left-field foul pole. It was his sixth home run of the season, the third in four games.

Mendoza didn’t allow another base runner until Hardy drew a two-out walk in the fourth.

Tillman blanked the Royals on two hits through four innings, then retired the first two batters in the fifth before Gordon homered to right. That ended Tillman’s run of consecutive scoreless innings at 15, a streak that began on April 27 in Oakland.

— Associated Press —