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Orioles crush Royals

Jul 23, 2013 - 5:33 AM Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - J.J. Hardy went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI to highlight an 18-hit onslaught that powered the Baltimore Orioles past the Kansas City Royals, 9-2, in the opener of a four-game set.

The Orioles, who were coming off a three-game sweep of the Rangers in Arlington, have won a season-high five in a row. Chris Davis helped keep them streaking with two hits, three RBI and two runs scored, while Henry Urrutia had three hits and drove in a run in the rout.

Scott Feldman (2-1) was the recipient of the run support, though he didn't need much after yielding just two runs on five hits and a pair of walks in eight innings of work.

"It's a lot of fun when things are clicking on all cylinders," Feldman said.

Wade Davis (4-9) didn't make it out of the third inning and was charged with four runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and three walks. He fell to 0-4 with a 10.91 ERA (19 ER, 15 2/3 innings) in his last four outings.

The Royals did not record an extra-base hit and lost for the seventh time in the last nine games.

They had tied a club record Sunday with their 11th consecutive errorless game, but two batters into Monday's contest, Mike Moustakas simply missed Manny Machado's routine ground ball to third, allowing Nate McLouth to score from first when the ball rolled into the left-field corner.

Machado scored on Davis' sacrifice fly later in the frame, and the Orioles tacked on two more in the third on Hardy's run-scoring groundout and Urrutia's RBI single to left.

The deficit was cut in half via Alcides Escobar's sac fly in the third inning and David Lough's RBI single in the fourth, but that was all the Royals could muster.

Brian Roberts' fly ball to deep center field allowed Hardy to cross the plate in the fifth, and a four-spot in the sixth all but sealed the outcome. Davis recorded RBI No. 96 and 97 on the season with a double to left field, and Hardy followed two batters later with his 17th home run of the year.

"It was a clunker," Royals manager Ned Yost said of the setback.

Game Notes

Kansas City center fielder Lorenzo Cain made a sensational diving catch in center field to leave the bases loaded in the second inning, but went 0-for-4 at the plate to snap a nine-game hitting streak ... Lough had two of Kansas City's five hits ... Nick Markakis had three hits for the Orioles.