Zach Britton managed to make it through the first inning, but the sixth inning proved to be his downfall as the Birds fell to the Royals 9-4 on Thursday night.
Britton (6-9) allowed three runs to cross the plate in the first inning, though only one was earned due to his own throwing error on a sacrifice bunt. Britton was able to keep Kansas City off the board until a disastrous sixth inning did him in...
The Orioles offense had fought back, scoring single runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. J.J. Hardy's 100th career home run tied the game in the fifth, and Chris Davis' RBI double in the sixth gave the O's their first lead of the game.
It was short-lived. Britton retired the first batter he faced in the bottom of the frame before allowing the Royals to tie the game on three straight hits (Britton gave up 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings in the loss). Jim Johnson was summoned to stop the rally, but he was strangely ineffective, allowing three runs off five hits in just 2/3 of an inning. Michael Gonzalez and Kevin Gregg held Kansas City hitless over the final two frames, but the six-run sixth was more than enough for the Royals.
The Birds finished a horrific 10-game road trip with a dismal 3-7 record. The most amazing (or depressing) stat...the club took the opening game in each series before dropping the rest. The Orioles now start a 10-game homestand beginning Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. Tommy Hunter will start for the first time since last years' World Series.
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