O's fall in homestand opener for 13th loss in 14 games

The Orioles' 86th loss of 2019 had elements seen often during the first 85 defeats. There was a baserunning adventure with a bad ending, a defensive miscue or two and a couple of homers allowed.

This all happened after O's lefty John Means had no-hit Kansas City on 66 pitches through five innings. He would not get an out in the sixth.

Kansas City (45-80) had lost four of five and 13 of 17 as this three-game series began tonight to start a seven-game Orioles homestand. But the Royals win it 5-4 tonight at Oriole Park.

If the Orioles (39-86) were looking for a crisper and cleaner game after going 1-12 in the last 13 against New York, Houston and Boston, this wasn't it.

After a solo homer leading off the sixth by Jonathan Villar pulled the Orioles within 3-2, the bottom of the K.C. order produced back-to-back homers in the seventh off Gabriel Ynoa to extend their lead to 5-2.

No. 8 hitter Nicky Lopez had one homer this year in 317 plate appearances when he connected in the seventh. No. 9 batter Nick Dini then hit his first major league homer in his 15th plate appearance as the Royals went back-to-back for the fourth time this season.

DJ Stewart's RBI double had put the Orioles ahead 1-0 when Kansas City struck for three in the top of the sixth. Lopez led off with a ground single to left to end Means' no-hit bid. Then Dini hit a grounder up the middle. Villar, playing short, ranged up the middle and tried a last-second flip throw to Hanser Alberto at the bag for a force. But he booted the high flip and Lopez made it to third.

It only got worse from there as the next four batters reached and Means was replaced by Ynoa with no outs. Whit Merrifield's RBI single tied it at 1-1. When left fielder Jace Peterson dove but could not catch Hunter Dozier's liner to left, two runs scored on the hit for a 3-1 K.C. lead.

Down 5-2, the O's got one back on Stewart's RBI single in the seventh. An inning earlier, they failed to score after Villar's homer. With first and second and one out, pinch-hitter Stevie Wilkerson grounded to third for a force at the bag. A throw to first to try and get a double play went past the first baseman. Wilkerson got caught in a brief rundown heading for second before the fielders turned toward Renato Núñez, who was past third base. They got Núñez out near third to end a messy play on the bases for the Orioles.

The O's pulled to within 5-4 on a Rio Ruiz solo homer with two outs in the ninth, but they could not pull even as they lost their eighth straight game.

Means falls to 8-9 with an ERA of 3.75. He gave up four hits and three runs (two earned) over five innings plus on 94 pitches. In six second-half starts, he is 1-5 with a 7.48 ERA.

The two homers allowed by Baltimore pitching tonight bring the season total to 257, one off the major league record of 258 by the 2016 Cincinnati Reds.