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Bannister dominates as Royals top Orioles

May 11, 2008 - 11:13 PM By Pat Madden PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- Brian Bannister allowed two hits over eight innings Sunday, helping the Kansas City Royals snap a 12-game losing streak against the Baltimore Orioles with a 4-0 victory.

Bannister (4-4) struck out five batters and walked two in ending a career-high four-game losing string. The 27-year-old righthander, who allowed only six runners to reach base, recorded his first victory since April 13 against Minnesota.

Jose Guillen and Billy Butler each had two hits and drove in a run for Kansas City, which ended a three-game skid.

"When you are as hungry for, and badly needing a win as much as we did, the guy gave up very little damage," Royals manager Trey Hillman said of Bannister. "He pitched very good."

"A shutout is definitely the best medicine for a losing streak, and I was able to do that today," Bannister said. "It was important that I proved to myself that I could go out there and pitch like I can. I got a little confidence back. The difference was I was able to get ahead and make pitches on my terms."

The Royals, who improved to 2-5 on a season-high 10-game homestand, beat Baltimore for the first time since a 7-5 home win July 25, 2006.

"We just didn't get anything off Bannister," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "He pitched a better game. He made good enough pitches that we just didn't hit."

"Bannister had everything today - curveballs, cutters, sliders, fastballs," Orioles catcher Guillermo Quiroz said. "He was locating everything. On days like this you just have to tip your hat to him. He was locating everything. We did the best we could but we could only get two hits off him."

The Royals got the only run they would need in the second inning on Mark Teahen's one-out RBI single.

Guillen's one-out double to left-center field in the third inning gave Kansas City a 2-0 advantage. A fielder's choice off Alex Gordon's bat and Butler's run-scoring single plated two insurance runs in the seventh.

"That was big for us in the seventh inning," Butler said. "That was awesome for the team, and an extra cushion for the lead."

"It was very important," Hillman said. "It gives you more of a cushion, but also gives you more confidence."

Joakim Soria pitched a 1-2-3 ninth in relief for the Royals, pushing his scoreless innings streak to 14 1/3 frames this season.

Brian Burres (3-4) absorbed the loss for the Orioles, allowing four runs and nine hits while striking out one and walking one in six innings. It was his third straight defeat after posting two victories in his first five starts.

"Burres was walking a tightrope," Trembley said. "He pitched up too much. Late in the game he walked the number nine guy. That's a no-no. But he kept us in the game."

"I didn't have good command of my off-speed pitches, so I was working mostly with my fastball," Burres said. "It was the only thing I could throw for strikes and it's hard to pitch like that the whole game."

Baltimore, which was seeking its first four-game road sweep since 1995, got singles from Quiroz and Luke Scott for its lone hits. The Orioles lost for only the fourth time in 23 games against Kansas City.

"It's irrelevant that it's not the same group of guys or the same staff or manager," Hillman said of the streak against Baltimore. "Losing that many games in a row to anybody is embarrassing. It's a difficult pill for me and the guys to swallow. That was the talk in the lunchroom this morning. We had to do something positive to get that off our shoulders and beat these guys."