The Baltimore Orioles have already clinched a series win against the Kansas City Royals, defeating them 7-2 on Tuesday night. 

BALTIMORE, Md. — Baltimore was propelled by starting pitcher Dylan Bundy on Tuesday, with a line of 8.0 innings, three hits, one run, one walk and five strikeouts. Before pitching against the Royals, Bundy has had eight days of rest. The rest looked to be key for Bundy, as it was his longest outing of the season.

As for the batters, Baltimore started off with two early runs in the first inning. Left fielder Trey Mancini was able to drive in an RBI double. In the third, Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield plated one with an RBI single, bringing the game to a 2-1 score. In the fourth inning, Baltimore would begin to pull away.

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones was able to drive in a run on a single, followed by three more runs in the fifth. Designated hitter Seth Smith was able to drive in two in that inning on a double. Castillo also drove in a run and Smith knocked in another run during the eighth.

The most important stat for the night: Baltimore went 6-11 with runners in scoring position. The ability to drive men in proved to be the Orioles’ calling card tonight. Baltimore is currently ranked 4th in the Majors with runners in scoring position (batting .291).

Earlier in the game, Smith got hit in the elbow by a pitch. He would be able to go on for a strong night at the dish, with two hits in three at-bats. Orioles manager Buck Showalter liked what he saw out of Smith, being able to show the toughness to stay in the game and battle. He also joked about the situation.

“When Smitty [Seth Smith] got hit in the elbow, he got smoked, you see the seams of the baseball,” said Showalter. “Whatever happened to the freeze spray? The little metal thing that… I asked Ritchie [Bancells] about it in the dugout, ‘They don’t make it anymore. They quit making it.'”

Showalter also raved about Bundy’s outing and praised his work ethic.

“Dylan was outstanding,” Showalter said. “That was fun to watch. He had everything working. Keep in mind, he had eight days off. That’s a real testament to the work that he and Roger [McDowell] put in between.”

Kyle Andrews

Born in Norfolk, VA, raised in the Baltimore area and currently living there. Originally pursuing a degree in exercise science at McDaniel, Andrews became interested in sports writing. He was the sports editor of McDaniel's newspaper in 2014 and became an English major, and hasn't looked back since.

Bylines at Fox Sports 1340 AM, Bullets Forever, Baltimore Beatdown, Underdog Dynasty and many other sites.