Orioles eliminate the drama in Kansas City (O's down 5-3)

James Shields didn't flirt with perfection. Not even a wink. The Orioles didn't get their first baserunner off Royals left-hander Danny Duffy last night until Adam Jones singled with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. Shields retired the first six Orioles today before J.J. Hardy singled leading off the top of the third. That won't get your face slapped. David Lough singled, Jonathan Schoop reached on a bunt single and Nick Markakis delivered two runs with a single into right field. Manny Machado's sacrifice fly increased the lead to 3-1 in the third. Shields has won 13 of his last 14 decisions on the road. The Orioles have him exactly where they want him - in Kansas City. Lough is batting .182, but it's not a true reflection of his abilities as a hitter. He batted .286 in 96 games with the Royals last season, finishing eighth in Rookie of the Year voting in the American League, and he's a career .297 hitter in seven minor league seasons. Lough was bothered by concussion-like symptoms in spring training and again early in the season, and he's trying to get comfortable at the plate while playing sporadically. This is his role and he'll have to figure it out. The Pirates are starting left-handers Francisco Liriano and Wandy Rodriguez in the two-game series that begins Tuesday, and the Orioles lose their designated hitter in a National League ballpark. That's two strikes against Lough, who will return to the bench while Nelson Cruz starts in left field. The Indians are starting four right-handers in the following series at Camden Yards. I'm not sure why Lough was bunting in the fourth inning today with Hardy on second base and one out. Not the time to sacrifice. The Orioles' lead is down to 3-2 after Lorenzo Cain's RBI single with one out in the fourth. It came immediately after umpires overturned an out call at second following Schoop's diving stop on Salvador Perez's grounder. Before today, Ubaldo Jimenez had allowed one run in three May starts covering 19 2/3 innings. Machado has pieced together a four-game hitting streak with his single in the fifth inning. Update: Jimenez isn't working his May magic today. Alex Gordon lined a three-run homer into the right field seats with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to give Kansas City a 5-3 lead. Gordon was 6-for-26 with no home runs lifetime off Jimenez before going 3-for-3 today.