BALTIMORE — Leody Taveras homered and drove in three runs, Samuel Basallo launched a solo shot, and the Baltimore Orioles finished off a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with an 8-2 victory Sunday afternoon.
However, the afternoon’s offensive fireworks were quickly overshadowed by a tense seventh-inning confrontation that left one of Baltimore’s key players sidelined.
Immediately after yielding Basallo’s solo home run, which extended the Orioles’ lead to 8-2, Kansas City reliever Lucas Erceg hit Baltimore’s Blaze Alexander on the left hand with an inside pitch. An angry Alexander shouted at Erceg and had to be quickly restrained by Orioles manager Craig Albernaz.
The exchange prompted players from both dugouts and bullpens to pour onto the field and converge around home plate. While order was quickly restored with no shoves, punches, or ejections, the fallout was severe for the Orioles. Following the game, Albernaz revealed that Alexander suffered a nondisplaced fracture of his left hand.
Prior to the injury, Alexander had turned in a strong performance, collecting two hits and scoring twice.
The Orioles’ offense built its early momentum on the back of Taveras, who crushed a mammoth, 448-foot two-run home run in the second inning. After the Royals clawed back to tie the game, Baltimore broke it open with a five-run sixth inning. The rally was aided by Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone losing a fly ball in the sun and a critical balk by Matt Strahm (3-3) that forced in a run. Taveras drove in the tiebreaking run with an RBI single during the surge, and Jeremiah Jackson added a pinch-hit RBI double.
On the mound, Orioles starter Shane Baz struck out nine over 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one earned run on 104 pitches. Reliever Grant Wolfram (2-2) earned the victory as part of a five-man bullpen effort that kept the Royals at bay.
Lane Thomas went 3 for 4 with an RBI for the struggling Royals, who enter the All-Star break on a five-game losing streak. The defeat marks the eighth time Kansas City has been swept this season—the most in the majors—and leaves the last-place club at a season-high 21 games under .500 (38-59).
Meanwhile, the victory sends Baltimore into the break riding its first four-game winning streak of the season.
UP NEXT
Following the All-Star break, the Royals will return to action Friday night to open a home series against the San Diego Padres.
