(AP) Maybe the Baltimore Orioles got this trade deadline thing right, after all.
Dylan Bundy allowed three hits over a career-high eight innings, newcomer Tim Beckham had two hits and scored twice and the resurgent Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals 7-2 Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.
The winning streak began over the weekend and gained momentum late Monday after the front office decided to be buyers at the non-waiver trade deadline, obtaining Beckham from Tampa Bay for a minor league pitcher.
The acquisition of Beckham followed the trade for right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, who will start Wednesday night. Although the Orioles still have some distance to make up in the AL East and the wild-card race, they’re within two games of .500 (52-54) for the first time since July 3.
If Baltimore is to make a serious move, it will need more pitching performances like the one it got from Bundy (10-8). The right-hander struck out five, walked one and retired the last 13 batters he faced.
Bundy did not pitch more than seven innings in any of his previous 34 major league starts. All three hits he allowed were singles — none after the third inning — and the only run he surrendered was unearned.
Seth Smith drove in three runs and Manny Machado had three hits for the Orioles, who pulled within 3 1/2 games of the Royals for the final AL wild-card spot.
Kansas City will seek to avoid a three-game sweep on Wednesday. The Royals came to town having won 10 of 11, but they’ve only scored three runs in these two games at Camden Yards.
“We have to do a better job of getting pitches in the zone and capitalizing,” said Whit Merrifield, who had one of KC’s two RBI .
Ian Kennedy (4-7) gave up four runs and eight hits in four-plus innings. He was 4-0 in nine starts since June 5.
Making his debut with Baltimore on Tuesday after playing his first 238 major league games with the Rays, Beckham singled and scored in the fifth inning and doubled in the seventh before coming home on a single by Smith.
Baltimore took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, bunching together four straight hits — including an RBI single by Jonathan Schoop and a run-scoring double by rookie Trey Mancini .
After Kansas City scored in the third, Adam Jones made it 3-1 in the fourth with a two-out RBI single.
