Rookie already in elite Orioles company | Baseball Notebook

BALTIMORE — Manny Machado might want to brush up on his knowledge of Baltimore Orioles history. The rookie is putting his name alongside the franchise's finest players.

Machado hit his third homer in only four games in the major leagues, helping the Orioles beat Kansas City 5-3 on Sunday.

The 20-year-old third baseman tripled in his debut Thursday night, homered twice Friday, had an RBI double Saturday and homered again Sunday.

He is the youngest Oriole with a multihomer game, breaking Boog Powell's mark. And Machado joined Frank Robinson, Ray Knight and Lee May as the only players with an extra-base hit in each of their first four games as an Oriole.

"That's crazy. That's the first time I heard it," Machado said.

The Royals had no answer for Machado, who went 6 for 16 with six extra-base hits and seven RBI in the four-game series.

"The scouting reports that we got said he had a couple of holes in his swing," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We couldn't find them. He hurt us."

Notes

• Rookie Red Sox 3B Will Middlebrooks does not need surgery after being hit on the wrist by a pitch Friday night, but said he is "not sure" if he will return this season.

• Jon Lester's 12 strikeouts against Cleveland gave him 17 career games with 10 or more. He's fourth in Red Sox history, behind Pedro Martinez (72), Roger Clemens (68) and Smoky Joe Wood (18).

• Yankees SS Derek Jeter, enjoying a resurgence at age 38, fell a triple short of the cycle against Toronto while lifting his average to .318.

• The Pirates drew 113,539 for their series against Houston, the second-highest for a three-game series in PNC Park's 12 seasons.

By The Associated Press