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Orioles win series opener against Royals
spt ap Royals
Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon stretches to catch a fly ball by Vladimir Guerrero of the Baltimore Orioles to end the sixth inning of a baseball game on Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo. - photo by AP Photo

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mark Reynolds homered, doubled and drove in five runs as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals 8-2 Tuesday night in a game in which the temperature at first pitch was 107 degrees.
Reynolds hit his 24th home run in the ninth with Nick Markakis and Vladimir Guerrero aboard to break open a 5-2 game. Chris Davis also homered in the ninth off Royals rookie left-hander Everett Teaford, who was just recalled from Triple-A Omaha.
Reynolds, who leads the Orioles with 60 RBIs, stroked a two-out double in the third, scoring J.J. Hardy, who snapped an 0-for-18 slide with a single, and Markakis, who had walked.
Reynolds’ five RBIs matched a career high, done three times previously.
Alfredo Simon curbed the Royals on four hits for seven innings to pick up the victory.
Simon (3-4) gave up a run in the first on doubles by Miguel Cabrera and Eric Hosmer, but blanked the Royals on two hits the next six innings. Simon, who moved into the Orioles rotation on July 16, walked one and struck out three.
The Orioles increased their lead to 3-1 in the fifth when Reynolds scored from second on Davis’ infield single. Before Davis’ hit, Matt Wieters drew a walk on 13 pitches, fouling off seven pitches, from Royals starter Bruce Chen.
Chen, who was roughed up for 10 runs and 10 hits in four innings in his previous start at Boston, did not make it out of the fifth, requiring 115 pitches in 4 2-3 innings. Chen (5-5), who is 0-3 in his past four starts, gave up three runs on seven hits and four walks.
Baltimore added a run in the sixth off rookie reliever Louis Coleman with Hardy’s double to left scoring Robert Andino, who led off the inning with bunt single.
Billy Butler’s sacrifice fly in the eighth scored Alex Gordon off reliever Tommy Hunter.

NOTES — Orioles RHP Jake Arrieta has an Aug. 10 appointment with Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles to examine his sore right elbow. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Arrieta has a fibrous mass growth on his elbow. He walked six in five innings Sunday in a loss at New York. INF Cesar Izturis, who went on Baltimore’s disabled list May 13 and needed elbow surgery, reported Tuesday to Double-A Bowie to begin a minor league rehab. If all goes well, he could be activated Friday. The Orioles claimed LHP Jo-Jo Reyes off waivers from the Blue Jays and he will be added to the roster Tuesday. RHP Luke Hochevar starts Wednesday against the Orioles. He is 0-4 with a 7.98 ERA in five career games against Baltimore. Jeremy Guthrie, who starts for the Orioles, is 2-7 with a 3.80 ERA in his 10 road starts. Cabrera extended his hitting streak to eight games with a first inning double. He also singled in the eighth and tops the Royals with 45 multihit games. He has hit in 23 of 26 games since July 2. Hardy committed a fielding blunder in the fifth, his third error in as many games. Hardy was charged with just two errors in his first 76 games.