Hunter Harvey gets first major league win, homegrown trio pitches O's to victory

Looking for offense to end a losing streak and back a good effort by right-hander Dylan Bundy tonight, the Orioles got some.

Better late than never and it didn't come in time for Bundy but it did for flame throwing reliever Hunter Harvey who picked up his first major league win.

Hanser Alberto's three-run homer into the O's bullpen in the eighth broke a 1-1 tie as the Orioles beat Kansas City 4-1 at Camden Yards. Alberto hit No. 8 as the Orioles ended an eight-game slide.

In the Baltimore eighth against reliever Jacob Barnes, Trey Mancini and Jace Peterson walked and up came Alberto with two outs. He drove a 1-1 cutter 407 feet to left center and the offense finally showed up.

Mychal Givens pitched the ninth to get his 10th save as the O's used the homegrown trio of Bundy, Harvey and Givens to throw a six-hitter.

The game's first run was scored in the Kansas City second when Alex Gordon led off with a single and Ryan O'Hearn followed with a groundball hit, sending Gordon to third. Catcher Meibrys Viloria followed with a sac fly to deep center for a 1-0 lead. Bundy fanned Bubba Starling and Brett Phillips to keep it a one-run lead.

Bundy's slider was on for most of his night and he fanned two in the first and second and two more in the fourth for six strikeouts to that point. He needed just 43 pitches to get through the first three and 66 through the first six innings.

The right-hander pitched seven innings tonight and it's just the 10th time this season an O's starter went seven or more. He gave up five hits and the one run with two walks and seven strikeouts. It's the third time Bundy has gone seven or more, also doing that May 4 versus Tampa Bay and May 28 against Detroit. Bundy did not get a decision and his ERA was reduced to 5.03 as he allowed three earned runs or less for the 17th time in 24 games.

Royals starter Brad Keller, who held the Orioles to two runs over eight innings in a late-season start last year, held them to no runs over six innings tonight. He gave up three hits and lowered his ERA to 3.95. He kept the O's off the board after the first two reached in the sixth.

But an inning later, the O's tied it at 1-1. Lefty reliever Richard Lovelady came in and Peterson greeted him with a single. He went to second on a one-out hit and scored on a Rio Ruiz groundball single to left.

In the eighth, Alberto gave the O's the big swing they needed and they won for just the second time in the last 15 games. They are 40-86 and can win the series with a victory on Wednesday night.