Kansas City Royals receive 2-8 hammering at the hands of Baltimore Orioles – MLB Update
Kansas City Royals received a 2-8 hammering at the hands of Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland in the opening game of their three match series of the 2012 Major League Baseball regular season.
For the Orioles, Jason Hammel displayed some high quality throwing skills, tossing up six shutout innings to dent Kansas City’s confidence levels. Allowing just five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts, the starting pitcher played a key role in deciding the outcome of the game.
His counterpart from the Royals, Bruce Chen had a forgettable time on the mound as he gave up six runs and seven hits in just over four innings. The left hander had won all of his previous three starts and he will be looking to bounce back strongly on his next appearance.
"I think he's throwing harder than I've seen in the past," KC's Billy Butler said. "He was hitting 94-95 consistently and touched 96 a few times. He's throwing well."
"They really took advantage of their opportunities in that fifth inning," said Kansas City's Jeff Francoeur, who homered in the eighth inning. "Missing those two tags obviously hurt."
"I can't do anything about it. Yes, it would have been huge to get those two outs. I have to keep guys off base," Chen said using a translator.
Ned Yost and company are having a poor time in American League this season. Royals’ loss to the Orioles was their 27th of the season and they have managed to win just 17 games. Baltimore put them under pressure right from the start, scoring five runs in the fifth inning to establish complete control over the contest.
Royals’ fans will be very disappointed with what they have seen from their team so far this season. The biggest problem for the Royals has been their inability to win games at home.
Somehow, the skipper will have to work out a method to win games on regular basis. It is now or never for the Royals and it will be interesting to see if they can turn the tables to put themselves in a decent position before the All Star Break.
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