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Orioles close out series in KC

May 5, 2011 - 2:42 PM (Sports Network) - The Baltimore Orioles take aim at a series win this afternoon when they play the rubber match of their three-game set with the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Baltimore stopped Kansas City's five-game home winning streak on Wednesday, as Nick Markakis homered and finished with two hits and two RBI in the 3-2 win. Mark Reynolds went 3-for-3 and Luke Scott registered two hits for Baltimore, which snapped a two-game losing streak and won for the sixth time in its last nine games.

Jake Arrieta (4-1) went seven innings deep for Baltimore, allowing just one run on three hits and struck out eight.

Jeff Francoeur had a solo homer for the Royals, who had a four-game overall winning streak stopped and is in danger of dropping its first home series of the season this afternoon.

Kyle Davies (1-4) suffered the loss in 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks.

The Royals may have been victims of their own ballpark in the eighth. Trailing by two and with a runner on first and one out, Mike Aviles laced a shot toward the left-center-field wall. Alcides Escobar, who was on first, easily scored and Aviles likely would have ended up at third. However, the play was ruled a ground rule double when a a heads-up Adam Jones noticed the ball was wedged under the outfield wall, putting both runners back on base.

"I would've scored easy on that ball and Mikey had a triple," Escobar said. "Wow, that's hardball. But that's the rule, that's part of the game, man."

Hoping to pitch the O's to the series win today will be right-hander Chris Tillman, who is coming off his first win of the season. Tillman beat the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, holding them to a run and six hits in five innings, improving him to 1-2 to go along with a 5.25 ERA.

Tillman did not get a decision in his only other matchup with the Royals, allowing three runs and seven hits in just 4 2/3 innings back in July of 2009.

Heading to the hill for the Royals this afternoon will be left-hander Bruce Chen, who is 3-1 with a 4.04 ERA. Chen did not get a decision on Friday against Minnesota, as he allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings of his team's 4-3 win.

Chen, who pitched for the O's from 2004-06, is 1-0 in two starts against his former team with a 4.50 ERA.

Kansas City won four of its six matchups with the O's last season, including three of the four meetings at Kauffman Stadium.