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Orioles continue mastery of Royals

May 11, 2008 - 6:12 AM By Marc Bowman PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) - Kevin Millar's three-run homer boosted the Baltimore Orioles to a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals in a game delayed almost two hours by rain Saturday night.

Millar collected three hits for his second straight multi-hit game. It was the first time Millar has had multiple hits in consecutive games this season as he escaped from a 15-game slide during which he batted .167.

The Orioles have won three straight on the heels of a five-game losing streak, and have beaten the Royals 12 in a row - their longest streak against any opponent since taking 12 straight from the Minnesota Twins from July 1980 to May 1981.

"We haven't swung the bats like we're capable as far as batting average, but this team has got some big hits and some timely hits when we need to," Millar said. "I think we've done a good job clawing and scratching through the struggles.

"Nick (Markakis) got the big three-run homer the first night. Aubrey (Huff) had the big three-run homer Friday night. And tonight, a big two-out, three-run home run."

Millar's fifth home run of the season - a two-out drive down the left field line - gave the Orioles a 3-0 first-inning lead.

"(Kansas City starter Brett) Tomko was tough, but got behind in the count which was to my advantage," Millar said. "He got a fastball up and I was able to get a good swing on it and that ball left the yard. I knew it was going to be fair. I didn't know if it was high enough. This park is big."

A moment later the rain began falling heavily, leading to a one-hour, 53-minute delay before Garrett Olson (2-0) could throw his first pitch.

"I thought the best thing Garrett did was keep focused," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "I thought it was easy to lose focus.

"It's a two-hour rain delay and you're ready to pitch and all of a sudden it's taken away from you. He had to make some big pitches and he got us where we needed to be."

When play resumed, the 24-year-old lefthander went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out two.

The Orioles added a run in the fifth and expanded the lead to 6-1 in the sixth as Millar singled and scored ahead of Adam Jones' triple, which knocked Kansas City starter Brett Tomko (1-4) out of the game.

The 35-year-old righthander pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts in dropping his fourth straight decision.

"He threw hard and had good off-speed stuff, his ball was heavy," Royals catcher John Buck said. "He just made the one pitch to Millar that came up and in a bit. If he doesn't leave that one up and in, we're all stroking him and telling him what a good outing it was."

"After the first, I had a chance to relax a little bit," Tomko said. "I thought I was rushing a little bit and I had a chance to settle down and attack hitters. After the delay we got back in the flow and got back in the game. Eight punchouts and no walks, you're on the right track. But, any time they get three hits in an inning, they are going to score and when you get down five in the late innings, it's not easy to come back from that."

The Royals mounted a comeback, collecting a pair of sixth-inning runs on four straight hits to drive Olson from the game, then plating one more in the seventh to cut the Orioles lead to 6-4.

"I'm proud of the way we battled back," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "Not only under the conditions, but we continued to grind out at-bats. We just left too many men on base."

Three Baltimore relievers held Kansas City to one run before George Sherrill came on to record his 13th save in 15 opportunities, despite allowing a two-out RBI double to Billy Butler which came within a few feet of becoming a game-tying home run.

"I didn't think it was going out," Hillman said of Butler's bid for a tie. "Not with the conditions and the gale force winds. It went further than I thought. I'm sure Billy will tell you he got all of it. But the wind knocked it down."

"I can't hit a ball any harder," Butler said. "I thought I got it good. I just hit it to the wrong part of the park. But, I wouldn't have needed that if I had gotten it done in the seventh (when he struck out with runners at first and third). If I just get a fly ball there, it's enough. I take responsibility for not getting that run in."

Kansas City has lost five of the first six games during its 10-game homestand - its longest of the season - and has dropped to a major-league worst 6-12 record at home.