KANSAS CITY Aroldis Chapman Jersey , Mo. (AP) — Meibrys Viloria trotted into the dugout after the sixth inning Sunday, and Royals manager Ned Yost told his recently recalled rookie catcher to help get pitcher Jorge Lopez through one more inning.So when Viloria headed to the bench after the seventh, that task successfully complete, he plopped down and began to relax. Puzzled, Yost looked at him and asked, “What are you doing?”“You said,” Viloria replied, “get him through one more inning.”Yost didn’t mean Viloria’s day was done, though. And when he went to bat in the eighth, Viloria came through with his first big league hit, a two-run double that put a nice cap on a game Lopez and the Royals dominated. The 9-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles wrapped up a three-game sweep of the only team in the majors with a worse record than Kansas City’s own.“It feels great,” said Lopez, who allowed Jonathan Villar’s home run in the first inning but little else while striking out a career-high eight. “The defense was good and the offense has been hot.”As for Viloria, the kid behind the plate who had just arrived from Class-A Wilmington?“That kid’s something special,” Lopez said. “Communication, the game plan, we were right on it.”It was the first win for Lopez, who was part of the late-July deal with Milwaukee for third baseman Mike Moustakas, since Sept. 29 Didi Gregorius Jersey , 2015, when he was still with the Brewers.“That’s why he was so well-thought-of and sought-after in trade,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “The things David (Hess) has done when he’s successful, that young man did today.”Alcides Escobar also had three hits and an RBI as Kansas City piled up 14 hits, its sixth straight game with at least 10 and the longest such streak since June 24-29, 2016.Most of the damage came against Hess (3-9), who allowed five runs on nine hits and a trio of errors — all of which came after the Baltimore pitcher’s own mistakes during a dreadful third inning.The first error came with nobody out, when Hess threw the ball away trying to pick Merrifield off first base. Then, with two down, Hess tried to chase Jorge Bonifacio back to second and the ball squirreled away again. Bonifacio headed for third and second baseman Breyvic Valera tried to throw him out there, but the ball bounced away for yet another error that allowed Bonifacio to score.“The toughest thing is giving them extra bases and extra outs to work with,” Hess said. “That’s something that I’ve prided myself on throughout the minor leagues and up here as well. I’ve been able to field my position well and do what we need to do to keep guys honest out there.“I mean, they beat me at that today,” he said. “It’s something that we’re going to learn from.”STATS AND STREAKSThe Royals have won five straight, all in come-from-behind fashion, their best stretch since July 19-28, 2017. … Merrifield reached base for a career-best 22nd straight game. He also stole his 30th base, matching Seattle’s Dee Gordon for the AL lead. … The Orioles were swept for the third time in four series. … Baltimore has lost seven straight road games.FIRST PITCHRoyals vice president Mike Swanson threw out the ceremonial first pitch to honor his 40 years in baseball. Swanson’s mother, Betty http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-greg-bird-jersey , spent nearly four decades working for the Royals and Chiefs, while her son has worked for the Rockies, Padres and Diamondbacks along with his time in Kansas City.CLOSER CONCERNSShowalter said he will try several options in the closer role after Mychael Givens blew another save Saturday night. “You’ve got to get people out, and pitch when you’re asked and take advantage of the opportunity,” Showalter said, “including Mike and some other guys.”TRAINER’S ROOMOrioles: RHP Pedro Araujo (right elbow strain) will not pitch again this season. He’s been on the DL since June 11. “He’s going to be fine, I think, for next year,” Showalter said, “but I don’t think he’ll pitch in September. I don’t see any of the feedback that fits that scenario.”Royals: OF Jorge Soler (fractured left toe) experienced a setback in his rehab and will likely shut down for the remainder of the season, Yost said. Soler went on the DL on June 16, when he was hitting .265 with nine homers and 28 RBIs.UP NEXTThe Orioles head to Seattle for three games beginning Monday night, when LHP Josh Rogers (1-0, 5.40 ERA) is on the mound. The Royals begin a trip to Cleveland and Minnesota with RHP Jakob Junis (7-12, 4.53) taking the hill against the Indians on Monday night. A look at what’s happening around the majors today:ON THE CUSPHouston can clinch its second consecutive AL West title — and a best-of-five playoff matchup against Cleveland — with a win at Toronto and an Oakland loss in Seattle. Rookie right-hander Josh James (1-0, 2.81 ERA) makes his third career start for the defending World Series champions, already assured a postseason spot. Alex Bregman and the Astros, with the top road record in baseball at 53-22, are 99-57 overall and a major league-best 17-4 in September. “Everybody is really excited about us closing in on 100 wins and closing in on a division title Dellin Betances Jersey ,” Bregman said, “but there’s only one thing on our mind and that’s winning the World Series again.” The second-place A’s locked up at least a wild card Monday night.PARTY CITYLooking to wrap up a franchise-record fourth straight trip to the playoffs, the Cubs can punch their ticket with a win over Pittsburgh at Wrigley Field and a loss by either Colorado or St. Louis. Mike Montgomery (5-5, 3.75 ERA) pitches for Chicago, which leads the NL Central by 1½ games over Milwaukee. Montgomery has won all three career starts versus the Pirates and has a 2.30 ERA in nine outings against them.THE WRIGHT STUFFThe Mets plan to reinstate captain David Wright from the 60-day disabled list when they host NL East champion Atlanta at Citi Field. Wright has been sidelined since May 2016 by back, neck and shoulder injuries that required surgery. Maybe he’ll even get in the game — manager Mickey Callaway has said he’d like to give Wright a couple of pinch-hit opportunities ahead of his farewell game Saturday, when the seven-time All-Star is scheduled to start at third base against Miami in what he expects to be his final big league appearance.CENTRAL CASTINGMilwaukee sends Gio Gonzalez (9-11, 4.28 ERA) to the mound and St. Louis counters with rookie Austin Gomber (6-1, 3.63) in the second game of their big series at Busch Stadium. The Brewers won the opener to take a three-game lead in the wild-card race over the Cardinals, who are a half-game ahead of Colorado for the second spot. Gonzalez is 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA in three starts since he was acquired in a trade with Washington on Aug. 31. Gomber is coming off a solid start at Atlanta, allowing one run in five innings for an 8-1 victory.NOW HIRINGSan Francisco is searching for a new general manager after Bobby Evans was fired Monday. The team said Evans will be reassigned, with responsibilities to be determined. The Giants (72-85) are finishing up their second consecutive losing season. “At this point, we needed to take a fresh approach to baseball operations,” CEO Larry Baer said. “We’re looking for someone that sort of is the ‘next gen’ general manager, if you will.”