KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Craig Kimbrel tied Billy Wagner for seventh on the career list with his 422nd save, Anthony Santander had the first three-double game of his major league career and the Baltimore Orioles rode a seven-run second inning to a 9-7 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.
Salvador Perez tied his career high with five RBIs for the Royals, who tried to overcome a 7-0 deficit, and hit a game-ending flyout to Colton Cowser in front of the left-field warning track.
Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save in six chances this year as the Orioles evened the three-game series. He is two saves behind John Franco on the career list and three back of Kenley Jansen.
Baltimore at first didn’t keep the ball for the final out.
“I guess the ball just got thrown into the stands,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’ve got to have a little more awareness in left field when you catch that, but he was great tonight.”
The ball was found at the bottom of one of the fountains in right field.
“Right when I threw it, I said: ‘Craig has a lot of saves, that one might be important,” Cowser said. “We got the ball back, though, it was the only one in the fountains.”
Santander sprinted in to make a diving catch on Bobby Witt Jr’s flare into short right field starting the ninth.
Corbin Burnes (3-0) pitched shutout ball until allowing Perez’s three-run homer in the sixth, Perez’s sixth home run this season. Burnes allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and a walk.
“He’s a veteran hitter and he’d got me both times we’ve played them,” Burnes said. “For the most part tonight we were able to limit the contact and get some quick outs. For the most part, it was a good job tonight.”
Perez added a two-run single in a four-run seventh.
“It is relentless the guys take a lot of pride in their at-bats. Salvador Perez coming up with the home run to get us back in the game was huge,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
Cole Ragans (0-2) allowed seven runs and nine hits in 1 2/3 innings, Kansas City’s shortest start this season.
“It was not good, just have to move on as soon as tonight,” Ragans said. “I have a start in five days that I have to prepare for so I can’t let this one bother.”
Baltimore tied its season high with 15 hits, including eight with two strikes. Every Orioles starter had a hit.
Left fielder Austin Hays left after six innings because of calf tightness.
Ramón Urías hit an RBI double in the first and scored on James McCann’s single, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mouncastle hit run-scoring singles, Santander doubled in a run and Jordan Westburg had a a two-run single.
“That second inning was probably our best all season offensively,” Hyde said. “We faced a really good starter with a lot of success against us and I thought we just took what was given to us.”
ROSTER MOVES
Kansas City placed RHP Jordan Lyles on the inactive list as he deals with a personal matter and recalled LHP Anthony Veneziano from Triple-A Omaha.
UP NEXT
Baltimore LHP Cole Irvin (0-1, 6.75 ERA) goes to the mound and Kansas City sends RHP Seth Lugo (3-0, 1.05) for Sunday’s series finale.
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