Baltimore Orioles beaten by Kansas City Royals 2-4 in the decisive finale – MLB Update
Baltimore Orioles were upset by Kansas City Royals 2-4 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland in the decisive finale of their three match series of their 2012 Major League Baseball regular season.
Orioles entered the series with a mighty 28-17 record and the fans expected them to brush aside the Royals in all three games. However, after what happened on Sunday’s evening, they will have to work extremely hard to put things back on the right track.
Royals, on the other hand, took another step in the right direction and it will be interesting to see if they can cross the .500 win percentage barrier before the All Star Break.
Billy Butler hit a huge home run in the first inning to put the Royals 1-0 ahead. Nick Markakis continued to show his class and composure as he earned an RBI double to deep left centre to level score 1-1. Xavier Avery also had one hit to his name in the fourth inning but the Royals ended the game on a strong note to take the series.
Baltimore’s Starting pitcher Brian Matusz had his three game winning streak snapped after he allowed three earned runs and seven hits in six innings.
"We didn't do much after the fifth there. That was the story. They made us pay for whatever mistakes Brian made. We had trouble with Butler and Francoeur and they got us again here," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said with disappointment on his face.
"He's just hot right now, swinging the bat really well. He's got a good eye for the plate, battles with two strikes. Fouls a lot of pitches off and makes the pitches work. He's just hot and was able to connect," Matusz said in a post game interview.
Buck Showalter and company will be gutted to lose the series after dominating the Royals 8-2 in the opening game of the series. Royals held their nerves to clinch a narrow 4-3 in the second game. With momentum on their side, they secured another close win in the finale to defeat the Orioles in their own backyard.
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