BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles opened their midweek home series against the Kansas City Royals with a 5-3 victory at Camden Yards on Wednesday, with second baseman Jackson Holliday providing the decisive blow in a tightly contested American League matchup.

With the score tied at 3-3 entering the seventh inning, Holliday drove a two-run double off the left-field wall against Royals reliever Carlos Hernández, scoring Cedric Mullins and Gunnar Henderson to give Baltimore the lead for good. The 21-year-old, who has shown steady improvement at the plate this season, now ranks among the team's most productive hitters in high-leverage situations.

Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez turned in a quality start, allowing three runs on five hits across six innings while striking out seven. He benefited from crisp defence behind him, including a diving stop by Henderson at shortstop that snuffed out a potential Royals rally in the fourth inning. The Baltimore bullpen, led by closer Félix Bautista in the ninth, held Kansas City scoreless over the final three frames.

For the Royals, Bobby Witt Jr. continued his strong offensive campaign with a solo home run in the third inning, his sixth of the young season. Kansas City starter Seth Lugo pitched competently into the sixth but was let down by a pair of defensive miscues that contributed to two unearned Baltimore runs in the fifth inning.

The victory improves Baltimore's home record to one of the stronger marks in the AL East, reinforcing the Orioles' standing as legitimate contenders in a competitive division. Manager Brandon Hyde praised the team's resilience after the Royals briefly erased an early deficit. Kansas City will look to regroup Thursday when the two clubs meet again at Camden Yards.