<\/p>\n
Leody Taveras homered and later drove in the tiebreaking run as the Baltimore Orioles completed a three-game sweep of the visiting Kansas City Royals, heading into the All-Star break on a season-best four-game winning streak thanks to an 8-2 victory Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Samuel Basallo also homered, Gunnar Henderson posted three hits and Blaze Alexander had two hits and scored two runs. Taveras finished with three RBIs.<\/p>\n
Grant Wolfram (2-2), who worked two-thirds of an inning, was the winning pitcher. He was the second of Baltimore\u2019s five relievers.<\/p>\n
Lane Thomas notched three hits and Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits for the Royals, who\u2019ve lost five games in a row. They racked up nine hits, but left nine runners on base.<\/p>\n
With the All-Star break coming following the game, the teams were eager to use their bullpens.<\/p>\n
Orioles starter Shane Baz struck out nine batters, but threw 104 pitches in 4 2\/3 innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) and seven hits without issuing a walk.<\/p>\n
Starter Seth Lugo worked four innings for the Royals, surrendering two runs on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts.<\/p>\n
Kansas City reliever Matt Strahm (3-3) suffered the loss for the second time in three days, giving up five runs on four hits in one-third of an inning in the sixth.<\/p>\n
Taveras broke a 2-2 tie with a sixth-inning single. Jeremiah Jackson tacked on a run-scoring double before Taveras scored on Strahm\u2019s balk. Henderson\u2019s infield single made it 6-2 and, three batters later, Pete Alonso provided a two-out RBI single.<\/p>\n
Basallo led off the seventh with his second homer of the series and 16th of the season.<\/p>\n
The Royals opened the scoring on Isaac Collins\u2019 two-out second-inning triple.<\/p>\n
The Orioles went ahead in the bottom of the inning on Taveras\u2019 two-run home run. Two of his four homers this year have come against the Royals.<\/p>\n
Kansas City pulled even in the third on Thomas\u2019 run-scoring single.<\/p>\n
Baltimore won five of six meetings vs. the Royals this year.<\/p>\n