Teahen’s 45-foot single, Bucks RBI single in 11th lead Royals over Orioles 4-3

Buck’s single in 11th lifts KC over Orioles 4-3

BALTIMORE — Mark Teahen led off the 11th inning with a 45-foot single and scored on a single by John Buck, giving the Kansas City Royals a 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.

The Royals’ second straight win to open the series gave them their first winning streak since a three-game run on July 4-6. Billy Butler hit a two-run homer and Willie Bloomquist added a solo shot for Kansas City.

Teahen opened the 11th by topping a ball down the first-base line. Rookie catcher Matt Wieters and pitcher Danys Baez (4-4) watched and hoped the ball would roll foul, but it stopped on the chalk halfway down the line.

Teahen stole second and scored on Buck’s hit a two-out liner to right.

Jamey Wright (1-3) pitched two perfect innings and Joakim Soria got three outs for his 17th save.

Wieters had a career-high four hits for the Orioles, who have lost nine of 11 since the All-Star break. Baltimore went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Orioles starter Jason Berken gave up six hits in six innings and left with a 3-2 lead, which put him position to earn his first win in 12 starts since his major-league debut on May 26. But Bloomquist tied it in the eighth with a solo homer off reliever Jim Johnson.

Baltimore scored a run in the sixth to snap a tie that had held since the first inning. Nolan Reimold led off with a single and averted a force play by taking off for second before Melvin Mora hit a one-out grounder to third. Wieters then lost his bat after making contact on a soft liner that barely cleared the glove of leaping second baseman Alberto Callaspo, and Reimold scored easily.

Royals starter Brian Bannister, who gave up three runs in six innings, remained winless on the road since May 24.

Butler hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and Jones countered with a two-run shot in the bottom half. It was Jones’ 16th home run of the season and fourth in 11 games since the All-Star break.

Baltimore loaded the bases in the fifth, but Aubrey Huff hit into a force play at the plate and Nick Markakis grounded out on a 3-2 pitch.

Notes: Reimold went 2 for 4, his fifth consecutive multihit game. … Bannister has gone five straight starts on the road without a win. … Baltimore DH Luke Scott went 0 for 5 and is 2 for 32 since the All-Star break.