Merrifield's walk-off homer lifts Royals past O's

KANSAS CITY -- What Royals manager Ned Yost and his staff like about rookie right-hander Heath Fillmyer is that even when his stuff or command is off, he competes on every pitch.
Such was the case on Saturday against the Orioles at Kauffman Stadium. Fillmyer maneuvered through traffic from the onset, posting only one 1-2-3 inning and that came in his final frame. Yet Fillmyer kept his team in it, throwing seven innings, scattering nine hits and giving up just two runs in the Royals' 5-4 win.
Whit Merrifield won it with his first career walk-off home run, a two-run shot in the ninth. Merrifield belted an 0-2 four-seam fastball from Mychal Givens an estimated 415 feet, per Statcast™.
"That was cool," Merrifield said. "I was trying to admire it a little bit and I got close to first and I kept hearing [first base coach] Mitch [Maier] yelling, 'Run, run, run', because I don't think he thought it would be a homer, so I didn't quite get a chance to admire it."

It was Merrifield's first career walk-off home run at any level of baseball.
"The was the first one ever, high school, middle school, college, first one ever," Merrifield said.
Rookie outfielder Brett Phillips got the winning rally going by drawing a four-pitch walk.
"My run ties it. It doesn't win it," Phillips said. "So all I'm looking to do is get on base. I didn't try to do too much. I was able to draw a four-pitch walk and from there things escalated the way we wanted it."
The Royals, whose lineup has gotten younger recently, have won four straight for the first time this season and six of seven. Yost said this young group is beginning to believe in itself.
"I think [these wins] give us all confidence," Yost said. "When the players have confidence, it gives us confidence. That's part of the process to get them to believe in them as much as we do. But it's a fun group to be around that doesn't quit. They gain confidence daily."
Added Merrifield, "It's huge, because these are the kind of guys we're going to have moving forward, so to get that kind of confidence early is big."
Royals reliever Jason Hammel surrendered a 3-2 lead in the eighth when he gave up a home run to Trey Mancini on a hanging slider and an RBI double to Tim Beckham. Rookie reliever Jake Newberry got his first Major League win.

Fillmyer, who walked one and struck out six, gave up three straight hits leading off the second. John Andreoli hit a sacrifice fly but Fillmyer then induced a double-play ball by Austin Wynns. Beckham homered off Fillmyer in the fourth on a 3-1 four-seam fastball. Moments later, the Orioles had runners on first and third with two out, threatening to add to a 2-0 lead. But Fillmyer got Cedric Mullins to fly out to left.
"Tthe key to me was the bases-loaded jam in the second and only giving up one run," Yost said. "That's important for a young pitcher -- you give up a base hit against the shift and then two balls the other way, and that can fluster you. But it didn't fluster him. He stayed on the attack. I was really pleased with that."
Fillmyer admitted he didn't have his best command.
"I felt like I was battling myself the whole night," he said. "Results-wise, they had nine hits against me. That's not ideal. That shows my stuff probably wasn't that sharp. With that being said, I walked [only one batter]. I was just working in the zone and battling and trying to get the best result you can."

Phillips got the Royals on the board in the fourth with a 423-foot home run to left-center field off Dylan Bundy. The Royals took the lead in the seventh when Brian Goodwin doubled in Ryan O'Hearn, and Rosell Herrera singled Goodwin home.

SOUND SMART
Merrifield has reached base in 21 straight games, tying a career high.
MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
Royals review specialist Bill Duplissea won two challenges, the first in the fourth inning when he got an overturn on what first appeared to be a hit by pitch on Andreoli but was reversed to a foul ball off the bat. Then Duplissea got an overturn on a pickoff play in the ninth at first base. Duplissea is now 28 for 35 in challenges, and at 80 percent is the best in MLB.

UP NEXT
Right-hander Jorge López (0-3, 7.90 ERA with Kansas City) will pitch for the Royals in the series finale against the Orioles on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium at 1:15 p.m. CT. Right-hander David Hess (3-8, 5.08 ERA) will take the mound for the O's. Lopez will be making his fourth start for the Royals. He gave up five runs and five hits over four innings Sunday against Cleveland in a 12-5 loss.