Yordano Ventura delivers a pitch against Baltimore (MLB photos)
Yordano Ventura scattered seven hits over eight innings Friday night as the Kansas City Royals cruised to a 5-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Ventura (2-1) had a career-high eight strikeouts and walked two in his seventh major league start. The 22-year-old rookie, who had never gone longer than seven innings, only allowed one Baltimore runner past second base.
After the start of the game was delayed 55 minutes by rain, the Royals jumped to a 2-0 lead. Ubaldo Jimenez walked Omar Infante and gave up a single to Eric Hosmer before giving up RBI singles to Billy Butler and Alex Gordon.
The Royals chased Jimenez during a two-run seventh. Escobar walked and Jarrod Dyson reached on a bunt before Nori Aoki delivered an RBI single past the drawn-in infield and Infante singled in a run on reliever T.J. McFarland’s first pitch.
Butler made it 5-0 in the ninth with a two-out RBI double.
