KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whit Merrifield hit a two-run homer with one out in the ninth inning, giving the Kansas City Royals a back-and-forth 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.
The Orioles went ahead off Jake Newberry (1-0) in the top of the ninth, when Trey Mancini homered to lead off and Tim Beckham added a two-run double, his fourth hit of the night.
Mychael Givens (0-7) came on to close it out, but he walked Brett Phillips on four pitches to lead off the inning. Cam Gallagher sacrificed Phillips to second, and Merrifield cracked an 0-2 pitch an estimated 415 feet to left field for the first game-winning homer of his career.
Kansas City has won six of seven on its homestand, its best seven-game stretch since July 2017, including the first two of this three-game series between the worst teams in the majors.
The Royals’ Jason Hammel squandered another solid start by Heath Fillmyer, though that’s hardly new. The 24-year-old right-hander allowed two runs on nine hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out six, yet was stuck with his sixth no-decision in his last eight starts.
The Orioles took an early lead on John Andreoli’s sacrifice fly and Beckham’s homer on a 3-1 pitch from Fillmyer. But the Royals answered in the bottom of the fourth when Phillips hit his second homer of the season — the 35th allowed by Dylan Bundy, tying an Orioles single-season record.
Kansas City pulled even in the sixth on Brian Goodwin’s base hit, and then took the lead when Rosell Herrera shrugged off a 3-for-31 slump with an RBI single that helped chase Bundy.
MINOR LEAGUE DEAL
The Royals announced a two-year extension with Idaho Falls to remain their rookie-level farm club in the Pioneer League. Eleven current members of the big league club played for the Chukars.
ROYALS MOVES
The Royals, who traded C Drew Butera to Colorado on Friday, recalled C Meibrys Viloria from Class-A Wilmington. C Salvador Perez has been dealing with a sprained thumb, and Cam Gallagher is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. Viloria was hitting .260 with six homers at Wilmington.
ORIOLES MOVES
Baltimore recalled INF Breyvic Valera from Triple-A Norfolk, and he’ll join the club in time for Sunday’s game. Valera appeared in one game with the Orioles last month, going 1 for 4, after arriving as part of the July 18 trade of Manny Machado to the Dodgers.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: OF/DH Mark Trumbo (right knee inflammation) will have arthroscopic surgery in Baltimore, manager Buck Showalter said. It is expected to take place Thursday or Friday.
Royals: LHP Eric Skoglund (sprained UCL) was due to make a rehab start with Triple-A Omaha on Saturday night. Skoglund (1-5, 6.70 ERA) has been out since late May.
UP NEXT
RHP Jorge Lopez (0-3, 7.90 ERA), who arrived in a late-July trade with Milwaukee, tries again for his first win for the Royals when he faces Orioles RHP David Hess (3-8, 5.08) in the series finale on Sunday.