Good things come to those who wait, but Fernando Tatis never thought he’d have to wait three years.

Tatis, making his first major league start since 2003, had two hits, an RBI, and scored twice in the Orioles 6-4 win over the Royals, Thursday.

Kevin Millar broke a 2-2 tie with a solo home run in the sixth inning to give Baltimore the lead. The Orioles outscored Kansas City 4-2 in the final four frames.

Jeff Conine helped out offensively, driving in two runs for the O’s.

Mark Grudzielanek and Matt Stairs had three hits apiece. Angel Berroa had two RBI.

Starter Rodrigo Lopez pitched 5.2 innings allowing 11 hits but only surrendered two runs and struck out five to get the win. Chris Ray pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 26th save of the year.

Reliever Brandon Duckworth gave up two runs in 1.1 innings to get the loss.

Tatis enjoyed his best season in the majors in 1999 when he had 34 homers and 107 RBI. In that same year, he became the first player to hit two grand slams in the same inning. He later suffered several painful injuries that caused him to miss the last 92 games of the 2003 season. His final chance before Thursday night came in 2004, but he was released during spring training by the Devil Rays.

Related web sites:
Royals Official Website