Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg delivered a one-two punch for the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, blasting back-to-back home runs off Royals starter Seth Lugo to propel their team to a 5-0 victory over Kansas City. Lugo, who had not surrendered a home run since last September, saw his impressive streak come to an end as the Orioles’ bats came alive.
Cole Irvin (1-1) turned in a stellar performance for Baltimore, scattering four hits and two walks across 6 2/3 innings. Despite allowing runners to reach third base in the first inning and second base in the fifth, Irvin demonstrated poise and control, stranding them to earn his first win since defeating the Royals on June 10, 2023.
Lugo (3-1) had not allowed a home run in 41 1/3 innings before Cowser’s leadoff blast in the third inning. The Orioles outfielder sent an 0-1 pitch soaring into the right-field fountains, a fitting encore to his accidental toss of Craig Kimbrell’s milestone 422nd save ball into the same fountains the previous day. Westburg followed suit two pitches later, launching his own homer into the left-field seats, putting the Orioles up 2-0.
After mistakenly discarding Kimbrell’s historic ball, Cowser had taken the initiative to retrieve it from the fountains with the help of stadium staff, ensuring the memento was preserved.
Lugo, who had allowed just three runs in 25 2/3 innings prior to Sunday’s contest, was charged with four runs on nine hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings, as the Orioles continued to pile on the offense.
Ryan Mountcastle added an RBI double, and Westburg drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning to extend Baltimore’s lead to 4-0. Ryan O’Hearn contributed an RBI infield single in the eighth, providing further cushion for the Orioles.
The Royals attempted a late rally in the eighth, placing runners on the corners with one out. However, Danny Coulombe silenced their comeback bid, freezing Salvador Perez with a pitch on the inside corner before striking out Nelson Velázquez to end the inning and secure the Orioles’ victory.