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Trio Of 2-Run Shots Power Orioles To 8-5 Win Over Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Chris Davis, Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop each hit a two-run homer off Johnny Cueto, and the Baltimore Orioles totaled five long balls in all Wednesday night to power their way to an 8-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals that snapped a six-game skid.

Wei-Yin Chen (8-6) allowed three runs for the Orioles while scattering nine hits over six innings. The losing pitcher against the Royals in Game 3 of last year's AL Championship Series, he has now gone seven straight starts without a defeat.

Cueto (9-9) labored through five innings for Kansas City, allowing 10 hits and a walk. It was his second consecutive shoddy start after yielding a career-high 13 hits in a loss at Boston.

Steve Pearce made it 7-3 with a solo shot in the eighth for Baltimore. Mike Moustakas kept the Royals close with a two-run homer off Brian Matusz in the bottom half of the inning, but Ryan Flaherty answered with the Orioles' fifth homer leading off the ninth.

Zach Britton got three outs for his 30th save.

The Orioles had lost nine straight to the Royals, and appeared to be in trouble again when they failed to score with runners on the corners and nobody out in the second inning.

In the bottom half, Moustakas hit a sacrifice fly and Salvador Perez an RBI double to stake Kansas City to a 2-0 advantage that could have been more substantial. The inning ended when Omar Infante ran past Paulo Orlando on a flyout, resulting in Infante also being called out.

Moments later, the Orioles started to showcase their power.

Baltimore tied the game in the third on Machado's two-run shot, then pulled ahead in the fourth when Schoop clobbered his two-run homer an estimated 427 feet to left field.

Davis, who was in an 0-for-16 slump coming into the game, made it three straight innings with a two-run shot when he went deep in the fifth. The big first baseman's 35th home run of the season sailed into the left-field bullpen and gave Baltimore a 6-2 advantage.

Kansas City clawed back with a run in the sixth when Kendrys Morales hit an RBI single, but Chen calmly retired Moustakas and Perez to prevent more damage.

When the Orioles tacked on a couple more home runs in the final two innings, the Royals were headed to only their third loss in 15 games at Kauffman Stadium.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: After another rough start Tuesday night, manager Buck Showalter was asked whether RHP Miguel Gonzalez is fully recovered from a groin injury. "Yeah," Showalter replied. "Far as I know."

Royals: Manager Ned Yost has given reliever Ryan Madson and closer Greg Holland some rest due to sore arms, though Holland has been available the past two nights.

UP NEXT

Orioles: RHP Chris Tillman took a tough-luck loss in his last outing against Minnesota, but is 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA over his past six starts.

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura allowed one run and six hits in a win last Saturday at Boston, making him 4-0 with a 3.55 ERA in his last six outings.

(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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