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 Moustakas' 14th home run of the year, and third in his last four
games, ignited an inning in which the Royals collected seven
consecutive two-out hits.
Medlen (2-0), who missed all of the 2014 season while recovering
from Tommy John surgery, went six innings, allowing three runs on
five hits and no walks with six strikeouts to record his first win
as a starter since his last appearance for the Atlanta Braves, Sept.
27, 2013.
"I just think he did a great job getting us through six inning,
managing his pitch count," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "The
two balls that hurt him were on secondary stuff. Just executing
pitches. Good tempo. On a 70-pitch limit, to get us through six
innings with our bullpen short is a great job all the way around. He
was quick, efficient, and throwing strikes. A lot of good things to
like."
"It was nice for him," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "It's
been a long fight back for him. You can tell why he's had a lot of
success and why he's worth waiting on."
Down 3-1 in the sixth, the Royals erupted for seven runs, all with
two outs.
"We were focused, locked in for that inning," center fielder Lorenzo
Cain said. "It was a huge inning. We definitely needed it. Medlen
did a great job and we definitely needed to pick him up. The inning
is never over. When we have two outs, we never stop fighting."
"They're just a good group that never quits," Yost said. "They get
two outs and there's no let down in that group. They just keep
focused on good at-bats. The first five innings he had really good
sink on the ball and we couldn't get it elevated and kept hitting
ground balls. We still hit some ground balls that inning. We just
found ways to find some holes."
After Moustakas' two-run shot into the right-field bleachers tied
the score 3-3, catcher Salvador Perez reached on an infield hit and
right fielder Alex Rios doubled. Second baseman Omar Infante then
tripled and scored on second baseman Jonathan Schoop's throwing
error for a 6-3 lead.
"It was a fastball," Moustakas said. "He went fastball 0-0 and I
took it, and I was kind of looking for the exact same pitch and he
threw it again. I just put a good swing on it and it ended up
getting out of the yard."
"I probably started leaving the ball a little bit up and they put a
good swing on it," right-hander Jimenez said. "I think the pitch to
Moustakas wasn't a bad pitch. That's what I wanted to throw, he just
put a good swing on it. The biggest mistake I made was the 0-2 pitch
to Infante. It was supposed to be up and in. I left it right down
the middle."
Kansas City added two more runs in the sixth when Cain singled to
bring in shortstop Alcides Escobar and left fielder Ben Zobrist. The
seven-run inning tied a season high for the Royals and the eight
hits were their most in one inning since Game 6 of the World Series
last year.
"It just shows the resiliency of this team," Moustakas said. "We
never quit, never gave up. We can do a lot of damage with two outs
and we proved that tonight."
"We were focused, locked in for that inning," Cain said. "It was a
huge inning. We definitely needed it. Medlen did a great job and we
definitely needed to pick him up. The inning is never over. When we
have two outs, we never stop fighting."
Including the four-game sweep in the AL Championship series, it was
Kansas City's seventh straight win against Baltimore.
Jimenez (9-8) allowed seven runs on 10 hits with one walk and three
strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.
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"He was pitching well," Showalter said. "He just started elevating
some fastballs and they made him pay for it. He was really
commanding the ball well and just didn't that (sixth) inning. You're
a pitch away from making it out of there. But you know we had five
hits. You always tip your hat to the opposition, but you get a
little tired of doing that."
"That's the tough thing about baseball," Jimenez said. "We were one
out away."
Center fielder Adam Jones' two-run, first-inning homer was his 24th
of the year and seventh in his last 14 games.
The Orioles did not have a baserunner after designated hitter Steve
Clevenger's one-out RBI double in the fourth.
"They got in a groove," Jones said. "Medlen got in a groove after
Clevenger hit that double and settled down. He got eight or nine
straight and then that bullpen we all know what they can do."
"They pitched well and we didn't swing the bats well," Showalter.
"Sometimes our guys are pushing, they know that we've got to get it
going. Not usually a good recipe against good pitchers."
What looked to be a spectacular catch by Cain of third baseman Manny
Machado's long drive on the first pitch of the game was overturned
on an Orioles challenge. The replay determined Cain momentarily lost
control of the ball and it touched the wall in right-center, making
it a double. Two batters later, Machado scored ahead of Jones' home
run.
"I got a great jump on it, a great read on it, and the wind just
kept pushing it out," Cain said. "It came out of my glove. I had it
and it came out. I hit the wall and I looked down and the ball's at
my chest. I didn't actually see it hit the wall until I saw the
replay. I thought I had it then I saw the replay and I was
surprised."
"The fastball to Jones, I can't make those kinds of pitches to good
hitters like that," Medlen said. "It felt terrible coming out of my
hands. It was one of those that you know he's going to smack once
you let it go. It stayed arm side. It wasn't the worst pitch I've
ever thrown, but those breaking balls have to stay on the other side
of the plate. That hung right up on the plate for him. He does what
he does and smacks it out."
The Royals cut the lead in half in the third. Zobrist and Cain
singled with one out, and first baseman Eric Hosmer delivered an RBI
grounder.
The Orioles regained their two-run advantage in the fourth when
Clevenger's one-out double to left brought home Jones for a 3-1
lead.
NOTES: Orioles C Steve Clevenger will miss the final three games of
the series (Tuesday through Thursday) as he returns home to be with
his wife for the birth of their child. Labor will be induced Tuesday
afternoon. ... Orioles RHP Mike Wright (left calf strain) is
expected to go five innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk on
Thursday. ... Royals DH Kendrys Morales entered the series as a
career .359 hitter (47-for-131) against the Orioles, third best
among active players behind only Miguel Cabrera (.391) and Adrian
Gonzalez (.379). ... The Orioles recalled RHP Jorge Rondon from
Norfolk to help with an overworked bullpen. Manager Buck Showalter
said, "We're short; the last two or three games we've really had to
push the envelope." ... Monday's game was the first matchup between
last year's AL Championship Series opponents. The Royals and Orioles
were the last two AL teams to face each other this year.
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