• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Gordon's monster day leads Royals past O's

May 18, 2014 - 11:23 PM Kansas City, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Alex Gordon finished 4-for-4 with a career-best six RBI thanks to a pair of three-run homers to fuel Kansas City's 8-6 victory over Baltimore in Sunday's finale of a four-game set.

Gordon joined elite company along with Willie Wilson, George Brett, U.L. Washington and Kevin Seitzer as the only players in Royals history with at least two homers, six RBI, four hits and three runs scored in one contest.

"It gave me goosebumps," Gordon said of his curtain call in the eighth inning after his second long ball of the contest. "I didn't know what to do. They just told me to go wave my helmet."

Lorenzo Cain and Billy Butler drove in a run each for the Royals, who earned a split in the series after dropping the first two games.

James Shields (6-3) tossed seven effective innings, allowing nine hits and three runs. Aaron Crow made things interesting in the ninth after serving up a three-run homer to Adam Jones, but Greg Holland retired the only two batters he faced to earn his 12th save.

Nick Markakis hit a two-run single and Manny Machado drove in the other run for the Orioles, who sputtered to their sixth loss in eight games.

Ubaldo Jimenez (2-5) gave up five runs on eight hits despite fanning seven over five full frames in defeat.

Down by two, Kansas City got a run back in the fourth thanks to three straight one-out singles, the last of which came from Cain to plate Gordon for a 3-2 contest.

The Royals moved ahead to stay in the following frame, as Norichika Aoki walked, Butler singled with two down and Gordon followed with a three-run shot to right for a 5-3 game.

"The one pitch to Gordon was uncharacteristic," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Jimenez. "'He tried to go down and away, and it came back in and came into a sweet spot. He hadn't walked anybody to that point, either."

Gordon's second homer of the contest reached the right-field seats in the seventh to increase the hosts' edge to 8-3. Eric Hosmer worked a leadoff walk and Butler added a double before the blast.

Crow was yanked in the ninth after walking Jonathan Schoop, allowing Machado to single with one down and a three-run blast from Jones which pulled the O's within 8-6. Holland entered and grounded out both Chris Davis and Nelson Cruz to end the game.

Aoki began the home first with a squibber near the mound, moved up on a pair of groundouts and scored on Butler's single.

Baltimore loaded the bases on three straight singles to open the third, then a Markakis hit scored two and a fly to right from Machado brought in another to put the visitors up 3-1.

Game Notes

Gordon's previous best was four RBI, last accomplished on April 9 against Tampa Bay ... Shields recorded his eighth quality start of the season ... Baltimore fell to 1-6 in Sunday games this season ... Butler finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Aoki walked twice and scored twice ... Jones' HR was the first runs Crow allowed in 17 innings over 20 relief appearances this season.