Eric Hosmer hit two home runs and Alcides Escobar drove in the winning run in the ninth to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.

David Lough singled and scored the game-ending run when Escobar doubled off the fence in left center with one out in the ninth.

Hosmer homered in the first and his two-run home run in the eighth tied the score at 3. It was Hosmer’s third multi-homer game and his second this season.

Darren O’Day (5-1) took the loss, while Luke Hochevar (3-1), picked up the victory after working a scoreless ninth.

Wei-Yin Chen, who went on the disabled list May 13 with a right oblique strain before returning July 10, departed after Hosmer’s second home run with Lorenzo Cain aboard with one out in the eighth.

Chen gave up a home run to Hosmer on a full-count pitch in the first inning. Chen had not permitted a home run in his previous four starts.

Chen retired the next 12 hitters after Hosmer’s first home run until Escobar’s single in the fifth.

A bevy of scouts were in attendance to watch Royals right-hander Ervin Santana. He can be a free agent after this season and it has been reported he would be dealt before the July 31 trading deadline without a player having to clear waivers.

Santana gave up three runs, only one earned, on seven hits in eight innings to lower his ERA to 3.06, which ranks eighth in the American League.

Matt Wieters homered in the fourth off Santana with two out after Adam Jones reached on an error by first baseman Hosmer.

The Orioles added a run in the eighth to take a 3-1 lead. Brian Roberts and Nate McLouth led off with singles. After Manny Machado bunted them over, Santana walked Nick Markakis intentionally to load the bases. Roberts scored on Jones’ fielder’s choice grounder to shortstop.

— Associated Press —

Bruce Chen tossed six strong innings, Greg Holland pitched out of a ninth-inning jam, and the Kansas City Royals held on to beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 on Tuesday night.

The loss snapped the Orioles’ season-best, five-game winning streak.

Holland, who logged his 25th save in 27 chances, gave up a leadoff single in the ninth to Nick Markakis and a run-producing triple to Adam Jones with none out.

Holland preserved the victory by striking out Chris Davis, and retiring J.J. Hardy and Henry Urrutia on grounders.

Chen (4-0), who was making just his second start after replacing Luis Mendoza in the rotation, limited the Orioles to three hits and one run, retiring the final 10 batters he faced. The Orioles had bashed 45 hits in their previous three games before Chen and three Kansas City relievers shut them down.

Chen, the Royals’ 2012 opening day starter, was relegated to the bullpen to start the season after Mendoza earned the final rotation spot in spring training. In two starts, Chen has yielded one run and four hits in 12 innings.

Manny Machado homered with two outs in the third for the only run Chen permitted.

The Royals went 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position, stranding 12 runners, including nine at second and third base.

They loaded the bases with none out in the first, but scored only one run when Billy Butler grounded into a double play.

In the second, Chris Getz’s one-out single scored David Lough.

Mike Moutakas’ double into the right-field corner in the third scored Lorenzo Cain, who singled to lead off the inning. The Royals had runners at second and third with none out, but failed to pad their lead.

Jason Hammel (7-7) took the loss, giving up 10 hits in six innings for the second straight start. After starting the season 7-2, Hammel is 0-5 with a 5.47 ERA in eight starts since his last victory on May 27 at Washington.

— Associated Press —

The Baltimore Orioles got production from throughout their lineup, while Scott Feldman shut down the Kansas City Royals offense.

 

Chris Davis and J.J. Hardy each drove in three runs and the Orioles defeated the Kansas City Royals 9-2 on Monday night to extend their winning streak to a season-high five games.

 

Davis, who leads the majors with 97 RBIs, drove in a pair of runs with a sixth-inning double and another with a sacrifice fly in the first inning.

 

“I think it’s huge anytime you swing the bats well at the beginning of the game,” Davis said. “It puts some pressure on the opposing pitcher and gives you more opportunities.

 

“The way we’re swinging the bats we know that if one guy doesn’t do it, the next will do it. We’re getting on base, running the bases well and we’re taking advantage of every opportunity.”

 

Hardy homered, his 17th of the season, in the four-run sixth with Davis aboard. He picked up another RBI in the third when Davis scored on his ground out.

 

“Getting a lot of base runners and getting some timely hits, it’s a good combination,” Hardy said.

 

“We had a lot of opportunities to score more, too. We got a lot of guys on-base early, with hits and walks, Nate (McLouth) leading it off sets the tone. And he’s stolen 25 bases, too. That puts pressure on the pitcher to be quicker to the plate which helps the hitters and it puts pressure on the defense.”

 

The Orioles’ 18-hit attack matched their season high and included seven players with multi-hit games, including three each by rookie Henry Urrutia, Nick Markakis and Hardy. McLouth reached base five times — two hits and three walks.

 

“Henry had some great at-bats,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “J.J. had the homer. Nate was on base all night. Chris settled back in pretty good. It was good offense all night.”

 

Feldman (2-1), who was acquired in a July 2 trade from the Chicago Cubs, was the beneficiary of the offense, picking up the victory.

 

“It’s a great way to open the second half, clicking on all cylinders,” Feldman said. “The offense has been great. The defense has gotten the job done and now the pitching is getting it going.”

 

Feldman limited the Royals to five singles and two runs over eight innings.

 

“I was just throwing strikes,” Feldman said. “I kind of got away from it in the fourth inning and walked some guys, then we got back to it, and let the defense do the work behind me.”

 

Royals manager Ned Yost summed up the defeat in four words: “It was a clunker.”

 

Wade Davis (4-9) took the loss, giving up four runs, two unearned, in 2 2/3 innings and seven hits and three walks before being replaced by Luis Mendoza.

 

Davis has lost his past four starts with a 10.91 ERA in that span, giving up 21 runs and 24 hits and 12 walks. Davis has only one win in his past 11 starts.

 

“I’m just inconsistent,” Davis said. “I’ve got to get deep in games. I fell behind in the count too much, a leadoff walk.”

 

Rookie David Lough drove in one Kansas City run and scored the other. His single in the fourth scored Salvador Perez. Lough scored in the third on Alcides Escobar’s sacrifice fly.

 

Mike Moustakas committed a fielding error in the first inning, ending the Royals’ streak at 11 games without an error, which matched a club record. Moustakas’ error on Manny Machado’s hopper led to two unearned runs.

 

“I just missed it,” Moustakas said. “No excuses for it. It’s routine as it gets. It’s a 5-4-3 double play and I just didn’t make the play. That’s an additional 20 pitches for Wade. It’s going to sting for a while.”

 

— Associated Press —

Miguel Cabrera is so locked in at the plate that he’s even hitting tough pitches.

Cabrera homered on a pitch that was way inside to help Detroit beat Kansas City 4-1 on Sunday and avoid being swept.

James Shields thought the pitch was way inside to Cabrera. So did Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost.

It made no difference was. Cabrera knocked it 387 feet down the left-field line for his 31st home run.

”That pitch was way, way inside,” Yost said. ”That ball was five inches inside. You’ve got to tip your cap to him for keeping that ball fair.”

Said Shields, ”That’s why he’s the best hitter in the game.”

Cabrera, who is second in the league to Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles, drove the 1-1 pitch out in the first inning.

”That ball is in on his hands, he hit it hard and kept it fair,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. ”He’s just an amazing hitter and we know that.”

Cabrera,the reigning AL MVP, leads the majors with 96 RBIs and 134 hits. Cabrera’s home run was his 352nd, passing Dick Allen and tying Ellis Burks for 86th on the all-time list.

”I’m not looking for it (inside),” Cabrera said of the pitch. ”I just reacted.”

Doug Fister (8-5) picked up the victory with six strong innings, yielding a run, while allowing six hits and striking out five and walking one.

”It was a constant battle from the first pitch,” Fister said. ”I’ve been on the mound (over the break), but I was shaking off rust and getting back out there, but I felt great from the first pitch to the last.

”The biggest focus was to get the ball down and around the knees. We executed with that on the better side and that’s going to continue to be our focus.”

Miguel Tejada tied it in the second with his third home run and the 307th of his career, but that was the only run the Royals could muster off Fister and three relievers. Tejada took an 0-1 Fister pitch out to left.

Andy Dirks broke the tie with a home run with one out in the fifth to straightaway center, just eluding Jarrod Dyson’s leap at the wall.

It was a two-game swing in the standings for the Tigers. A Royals’ victory would have pulled them within five of the division leaders, but instead they are seven games back.

”You’re always mad when you get a chance to sweep a team and don’t do it,” Dyson said. ”We’re just trying to creep back into it.”

The Tigers tacked on a run in the seventh. They loaded the bases with none out on Prince Fielder, Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta singles. Peralta’s single was off Shields’ inner right thigh, but he remained in the game after being checked out by the trainer.

”It hurt really bad,” Shields said.

Brayan Pena, a former Royal, brought home Fielder with a sacrifice fly to center.

Shields (4-7), who has won only one of 10 home starts, took the loss, giving up three runs on nine hits, while striking out six in seven innings.

”Anytime you give up three runs in seven innings, you’ve done a good job” Yost said.

Pena contributed another sacrifice fly in the ninth off Kelvin Herrera, this one scoring Peralta, who doubled with one out and stopped at third on Dirks’ single to left.

Joaquin Benoit worked the ninth to log his ninth save in as many opportunities.

Fister plunked Salvador Perez with a pitch in the third and leads the majors with 14 hit batters.

— Associated Press —

Mike Moustakas was in a slump and Justin Verlander, of all people, helped him snap out of it.

Salvador Perez drove in three runs and Moustakas went 3 for 4 with a game-winning home run to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 6-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers and Verlander.

Moustakas was hitless in 10 at-bats and in a 3-for-20 slide. His home run to right in the fifth snapped a 5-5 tie, while the three-hit game was his first since May 8.

”There’s a great pitcher on the mound and he doesn’t make too many mistakes,” Moustakas said. ”I got a pitch I could handle and didn’t miss it.”

Verlander (10-7) had not lost to the Royals since Sept. 9, 2009, but gave up six runs, five earned, on eight hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings.

”It was not good at all,” Verlander said. ”I walked guys and they scored runs. I wasn’t able to execute. I was just all over. I wasn’t in sync. I’ve got to find it. I had three or four games before the All-Star break where I thought I had it back, but I didn’t feel in sync tonight. Hopefully I’ll get it back.”

It was the seventh time in 21 starts that Verlander failed to make it into the sixth inning.

”I would say over the course of the season up to this point, and there’s still a lot of season left, his performance hasn’t been quite as consistent as in the past,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. ”It’s just not what you expect of him, which is a little unfair because of what you expect of him.”

Perez drove in a run in the first with a sacrifice fly and stroked a two-run double in the third.

Jeremy Guthrie (9-7) picked up the victory, surrendering five runs on 10 hits and two walks in six innings.

”The bullpen won the game despite me trying to give it away,” Guthrie said.

Aaron Crow, the fourth of five Kansas City pitchers, pitched out of danger in the eighth inning. Alex Avila led off with a single, his third hit, and pinch hitter Don Kelly walked. After Austin Jackson bunted them both over, Crow retired Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera on ground balls to third base to strand them.

”I’m trying to put everything behind me and they both hit balls right at Moose (Moustakas),” Crow said. ”I got the ball down on Cabrera and he hit it on the ground. You don’t want to walk him to load the bases with Prince (Fielder) on-deck.”

Hunter and Cabrera are a combined 0 for 14 off Crow.

”We were not going to give in to Cabrera,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. ”We’d either walk him or make perfect pitches. Crow made the perfect pitches.”

Greg Holland worked the ninth to collect his 24th save in 26 chances, although he yielded a one-out double to Victor Martinez off the right-field wall.

”Soon as he hit it, I was praying it would stay in the park,” Yost said. ”I thought it had a chance to go out. I’m just glad it didn’t.”

Martinez stood at the plate for a couple of seconds to admire his work before taking off and just making it to second.

”I thought I had that ball and then I saw it go down,” Martinez said.

Fielder and Martinez stroked RBI-singles in the first as the Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

The Royals seized a 5-3 lead in the fourth when Chris Getz drove in a run with a fielder’s choice grounder, while Verlander walked Eric Hosmer with the bases loaded.

Avila drove in two runs with a two-out fifth inning single to tie the score at 5-all.

Getz, who was recalled Friday from Triple-A Omaha, suffered a mild medial strain of his left knee in the fifth inning while trying to field Fielder’s smash grounder. He was replaced by Elliot Johnson. Yost said Getz is ”not a DL (disabled list) situation, more like a day-to-day situation.”

— Associated Press —