Royals Bats Quiet Against Orioles Again

The Royals and Orioles wrapped up their four-game series at Kauffman Stadium last night and for the third time in the set, the Royals came away with a loss. Despite scoring two runs in the top of the first inning, Kansas City fell 3-2. Mike Sweeney and Dee Brown drove in runs with singles in the first frame, but after that the defense dried up. In fact, three of the Royals four hits came in the first. Starters Zack Greinke and Rodrigo Lopez battled in scoreless fashion until the Orioles broke through for three runs in the seventh inning for their only tallies. Greinke was charged with all three runs, though he was only on the mound for two of them. He dropped to 1-5 and has an ERA of 3.58. The series was an offensive nightmare for Kansas City, which managed only 11 runs in the four games. The Royals are 29-47, which is the worst record in the American League and dropped 13 ½ games out of first place in the American League Central.