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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Nelson Cruz has only two hits in 15 at-bats against the Kansas City Royals this season. Both are home runs. Cruz hit a two-run homer and the first-place Baltimore Orioles beat the Royals 2-1 on Thursday night to snap a four-game losing streak. Cruz homered in the fourth after Chris Davis drew a walk to lead off the inning. It was Cruzs 12th home run, which is second in the American League to the 15 of Chicago White Sox rookie Jose Abreu. Cruzs 35 RBIs are tied for second in the AL. "Hes one of the best power hitters in the American League over the past five or six years," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Hes hit in a good hitters park in Texas, but hes got power to all fields." Wei-Yin Chen (5-2) limited the Royals to one run and seven hits over 5 1-3 innings with one walk and one strikeout. Chen, who is 5-1 in his past seven starts, was removed in the sixth after Salvador Perez walked and Alex Gordon singled with one out. Darren ODay replaced Chen and struck out Danny Valencia and retried Johnny Giavotella on a fly to right. Royals rookie right-hander Yordano Ventura (2-3) struck out nine and walked one in 6 1-3 innings, allowing two runs and seven hits. After Cruzs home run, Ventura retired the next 10 batters, striking out seven, including six straight at one stretch. "He made a mistake to Nelson Cruz and it wasnt even a mistake," Yost said. "I think he threw a good fastball to Nelson. It was up and over the middle of the plate and he ambushed it." Cruz hit the first pitch out to right-centre from Ventura, who has a fastball that routinely hits triple digits on radar guns. "We know hes got a great fastball," Cruz said. "He can get you quick. Hes got great stuff. It was one of those at-bats that I got what I was looking for. We were trying to be aggressive and he was throwing a lot of first-pitch fastballs. I was looking for a fastball." With a northwest wind blowing 15 mph and gusting up to 28, it was less than ideal conditions to hit a home run. "You could have made some money off me if youd have bet me that somebody could have gotten a ball out of here tonight," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. Valencias sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the fourth scored Eric Hosmer for the only run off Chen. "Ventura pitched great," Giavotella said. "We just couldnt back him up with any runs." Left-hander Zach Britton, who had not allowed a run in 7 1-3 innings in his past eight appearances, worked a perfect ninth for his first major league save. Showalter elected to go to Britton after closer Tommy Hunter blew his past two save chances. "Guys graduate," Showalter said. "It was a good start and its good to know that if we need him for a given night hell be ready. Well see how it goes from here." The Royals did not have a baserunner off four Baltimore relievers, who retired 11 straight. "Our pitchers did a really good job and we really needed this win," Cruz said. "Anytime you can win a game by one run its huge. We feel like we can get something going." The Orioles, who went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position, threatened in the seventh and eighth innings, but came away empty. Gordon, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, threw out J.J. Hardy at the plate to end the seventh for his fourth outfield assist this season and his 58th since moving to the outfield in 2011. Hardy attempted to score from second on Nick Markakis single. Manny Machado and Adam Jones led off the Orioles eighth with singles off Louis Coleman, the third Kansas City pitcher. Kelvin Herrera replaced Coleman and struck out Davis and Cruz and retired Steve Clevenger on a grounder to strand the runners. NOTES: The Orioles recalled RHP Evan Meek from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned RHP Kevin Gausman, who lost a Wednesday start to Detroit, to the same club. ... 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Four times Mexico has visited Columbus to play the United States in the Hex and every time they have boarded the plane home losing 2-0. This time, though, it feels very different for El Tri. Two of the previous three matchups with their arch rivals came at the start of the group, when Mexico had no danger of not qualifying, while in September of 2005, Mexico lost but still went home on 16 points through seven matches and were virtually secure of their spot in Germany 2006. Now, in the final stages of CONCACAF qualifying for Brazil 2014, the regions biggest powerhouses are in deep trouble. They entered Tuesdays match with many expecting them to eventually kick it up a few gears and find a way to reach one of the top three automatic qualifying spots, particularly after the firing of coach Jose Manuel de la Torre following Fridays loss to Honduras. They left Tuesdays match in further disarray. It has to be said; the American side they came up against was far from an exceptional one. Missing key players through suspension and injury, Jurgen Klinsmanns men played more like an away side, sticking to their disciplined shape and looking to break Mexico down on the break and through set-pieces. It worked. Eddie Johnsons header from Landon Donovans corner in the 49th minute set them on their way before Donovan sealed the deal in the 78th when he poked home Mix Diskeruds cross after the visitors fell asleep on a throw-in. It was a night of errors for the away side. Goalkeeper Jose Coronas ludicrous surge out of his goal in search of the ball allowed Johnson to head into an empty net, while Donovan embarrassed right back Hiram Mier when he stepped inside the defender at the back post. Moments such as these, which cost them the game, will be, quite rightly, blazed across highlight shows across the continent, but those who watched the entire match will know far more concerns for Mexico exist than just mental mistakes in front of their own goal. Klinsmanns tactics were not only perfect for the team he had available to him but also said everything about Mexicos inefficiency in the final third. El Tri have now played eight matches in the Hex and scored four goals. Klinsmann didnt think they could break his team down and he was right. In the opening 20 minutes Mexico showed signs of life, pressing high up the pitch, exploding on transitions and exposing the USs weak right side but the longer the first half went on the more they grew frustrated and lacked ideas. So often when things arent going well for a team they can look like a team of individuals and thats what has started to happen to Mexico.dddddddddddd Any cohesiveness in their attacking game has disappeared, the tempo in which they pass the ball is far too slow and their lack of movement has become very easy to defend against. It is a remarkable fall from grace for a side that features many of the players who won gold at the Olympics in London last summer. This Mexico team is not full of older players on the decline. Carlos Salcido aside (who was good enough to be one of the precious over-age players in the squad for London 2012), this team is full of young, energetic, skillful players. Right now they look lost, without a spark and out of ideas. It is not usually this tough for El Tri. In the previous four Hex formats - since the process was changed for the 1998 World Cup - Mexico have finished in the top two of qualifying each time, obtaining anywhere between 17 and 22 points each time in the 10 game group stage. By now they are usually on cruise control towards the finals. Instead, they have eight points from eight matches and, after Panama secured a late draw in Honduras on Tuesday, sit fifth and out of the qualification positions altogether. This means Honduras, who are still huge favourites to advance, Panama and Mexico will battle for one automatic spot between them with the team who finish fourth forced to play New Zealand, the winners of the Oceania qualifiers, over two legs to advance to the World Cup. Honduras (11 pts) finish with Costa Rica (h) and Jamaica (a)Panama (8pts) finish with Mexico (a) and USA (h)Mexico (8pts) finish with Panama (h) and Costa Rica (a)Mexico, despite their endless list of current problems, should still beat the All Whites, but the biggest story of this qualifying round is, without doubt, the fact they might not get a chance to do so. Panama, ahead of Mexico on goals scored, are El Tris next opponents in what promises to be a dramatic match at The Azteca on October 11th. Anything other than a win for Mexico in that game will likely signal the end of their qualification campaign with Panama ending their schedule at home to an already qualified USA. Mexico have a month to get it right. A month when another new coach is most likely to be appointed during a time when many of their players struggle to find valuable minutes with their club teams. These are not good times for Mexican football. The strange thing is; should they manage to reach Brazil I think they could do very well. It is now or never for El Tri. ' ' '