KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bobby Witt Jr. delivered another signature performance Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in the fourth inning as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 at Kauffman Stadium to open their weekend series.

Witt, who entered the game hitting .318 on the young season, gave Kansas City an early cushion with a line-drive shot to left-center that scored Salvador Perez and put the Royals ahead 4-2. The Royals' offense added insurance runs in the seventh on an RBI double from Vinnie Pasquantino, capitalizing on a Baltimore bullpen that has struggled to hold late leads this week.

Orioles starter Corbin Burnes was effective through five innings, surrendering three earned runs on seven hits while striking out six, but Kansas City's lineup made him work deep into counts. Royals starter Cole Ragans matched him until the third inning, when Adley Rutschman and Anthony Santander produced back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game at 2-2 before Kansas City pulled ahead.

Baltimore's bullpen faltered in the sixth, as a two-out walk and a hit batter loaded the bases for Witt, who had already made his mark. A bases-clearing double by Michael Massey pushed the lead to 6-2, ultimately proving too much for the Orioles to overcome despite a two-run rally in the ninth inning.

The loss drops Baltimore to 5-6 on the season, extending a stretch of inconsistency that has concerned the organization after high preseason expectations. Kansas City, buoyed by Witt's development into one of baseball's premier young stars, improves to 7-4 and continues to make a case as a legitimate American League contender. The two clubs return to action Sunday afternoon for the second game of the series.