Day of Firsts for Witasick

Jay Witasick is going to have to answer to a lot of people back home.

The Baltimore native and lifelong Oriole fan, with his friends and family watching on TV, shut out the Orioles on four hits Thursday night, pitching the Royals to a 6-0 victory at Kansas City, in the finest outing of his career.

It was the first complete game and shutout for the struggling right-hander, who had won only once in his previous 10 starts.

“From childbirth on up, in my family, everybody is a straight Oriole fan,” said Witasick (5-10), who still lives in Baltimore.

“My girlfriend is. She lives in Baltimore. Her family lives in Baltimore. I hope she still talks to me after this.”

Carlos Beltran and Jed Hansen homered in support of Witasick, who walked four and struck out four and did not allow an Oriole runner past second base.

Beltran hit a two-run shot off Sidney Ponson (11-9) in the seventh to give the Royals a 6-0 lead. The 21-year-old center fielder leads AL rookies with 87 RBIs, 90 runs, 156 hits and 20 home runs.

Tampa Bay 9, Chicago 7--Bubba Trammell hit a three-run homer and Jose Guillen had a two-run shot for the Devil Rays at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Trammell homered during a four-run fifth inning that put the Devil Rays ahead, 8-1. Guillen, acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a four-player trade July 23, hit his first Tampa Bay homer in the fourth.

Wade Boggs went two for four, raising his hits total to 3,010 with an RBI double in the fifth and an infield single in the eighth. He also had a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Tampa Bay improved to 14-10 in August and needs one win in the next four games to record the team’s first winning month.