Bats go silent in shutout loss
Means deals but gets no help from offense, bullpen
As the Camden Yards grounds crew tossed fresh dirt onto the mound, Orioles left-hander John Means stood behind it and waited, hoping for the chance to continue his outing despite the falling rain.
He did so, but a day after the Orioles’ offense broke out late, only the rain and the Kansas City Royals poured it on as Baltimore fell, 6-0, in the finale of a four-game series.
The Orioles (45-94) settled for a series split despite receiving what was perhaps Means’ best start since he no-hit the Seattle Mariners on May 5. He went seven strong innings and allowed only five hits. But the first of those was a first-inning solo shot by Nicky Lopez, and the last was a double to lead off the eighth that came home on a Lopez single off Tanner Scott.
The Orioles have lost each of Means’ past seven starts. A heavy rain in Baltimore seemed as if it might halt this one after five innings, but Means pitched the sixth as the rain dissipated. His opposite number, Kansas City righthander Carlos Hernández, endured his own wait for the inning’s bottom half as the grounds crew worked to dry an infield that saw hardly any action with him in the game.
Hernández allowed three straight singles with two outs in the second, but Andrew Benintendi easily threw out Pedro Severino at home on Jahmai Jones’ grounder to left. The Orioles did not record another hit, producing hard contact off Hernández but mostly lofted into the air with little chance of it falling. In his final inning, Anthony Santander and DJ Stewart both flew out to the warning track.
Lopez’s home run with one out in the first was only the third by a left-handed hitter among the careerhigh 25 Means has allowed this season. Among pitchers
with at least 120 innings, only seven have allowed more home runs per inning than Means.
He cruised for much of the next six innings, surrendering three singles in separate frames and a pair of walks to former Orioles infielder Hanser Alberto, who entered play with two walks in 220 plate appearances for the Royals. Means took the mound in the eighth for only the second time as a major league starter — the other being his no-hitter. Hunter Dozier, whose dropped flyball Wednesday gave the Orioles the lead amid their nine-run eighth inning, doubled to end his outing.
Scott then surrendered singles to three of the first four batters he faced, two coming off Jones’ glove at second as Kansas City’s lead grew to 4-0. Dozier scored two with a home run off Manny Barreda in the ninth.
Hernández and reliever Domingo Tapia and Scott Barlow combined to retire 16 straight Orioles before DJ Stewart’stwo-outwalkinthe ninth. Outside of Wednesday’s eighth inning, Baltimore has managed one run in its previous 21 turns at bat.
Around the horn
Before the game, the Orioles placed righthanded starter Matt Harvey on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation and recalled infielder Richie Martin, providing cover as Ramón Urías was out of the lineup for a fourth straight game with right upper leg soreness. Harvey, 32, initially suffered the injury in an Aug. 4 start against the New York Yankees. Before Harvey’s previous outing Wednesday, manager Brandon Hyde said the Orioles had been going “start-to-start with Harvey here for the last four or five starts” and would evaluate again after he faced the Royals.