Kansas City Royals vs Oakland Athletics Box Score on Aug 16, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Aug 16, 2017

OAKLAND, Calif.-- Lorenzo Cain launched a two-run homer in the fourth inning and Alex Gordon hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth, lifting the Kansas City Royals to a 7-6 victory over the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon.

Alcides Escobar hit a leadoff double off Blake Treinen in the ninth, and Gordon lined a single to right for his second hit of the day. Escobar went 3-for-4 and scored two runs.

Cain went 2-for-3 with his 13th blast of the year. He also walked and was hit by a pitch. Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas each went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Kelvin Herrera pitched a scoreless ninth for his 26th save, stranding a runner at second.

Oakland's Marcus Semien went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the third inning, his fifth blast of the year. Rookie Matt Chapman hit a two-run shot in the eighth, his ninth home run of the season. Jed Lowrie had two hits, including a two-run single.

The A's trailed 6-4 entering the bottom of the eighth, but Ryon Healy hit a leadoff single and Chapman crushed a homer to left center off reliever Brandon Maurer (1-1). Chapman hit Maurer's first-pitch, 97 mph fastball for his ninth homer of the season.

Royals left-hander Danny Duffy allowed four runs on six hits with eight strikeouts and two walks over five innings in a no-decision. Duffy yielded just his 11th home run of the season but his fourth in three games.

A's rookie right-hander Paul Blackburn made his ninth career start and gave up four runs on eight hits over four innings, his shortest outing. Blackburn struck out two and walked three in a no-decision.

The Royals scored a run in the top of the first inning when Moustakas brought Hosmer home with a bases-loaded, infield single.

Semien put Oakland ahead 2-1 in the third with his two-run blast after Dustin Garneau led off with a walk.

The Royals responded with three runs in the fourth, regaining the lead at 4-2. Escobar led off with an infield single and raced to third when third baseman Chapman threw wildly to first. Drew Butera brought Escobar home with a single, and Cain followed with a two-run blast to center off Blackburn.

Kansas City added a run in the top of the fifth when Moustakas led off with a single and scored from second on Gordon's single.

Oakland cut the Royals' lead to 5-4 with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Garneau had his second leadoff walk of the game and moved to third on Rajai Davis' double down the right field line. Lowrie brought them both home with a sharp single to center.

The Royals increased their lead to 6-4 in the eighth on Hosmer's RBI single off A's right-hander Ryan Dull, who struck out Brandon Moss with the bases loaded to end the inning.

NOTES: Royals RHP Joakim Soria (lower back soreness) will undergo an MRI on Thursday in Kansas City and might land on the 10-day disabled list, manager Ned Yost said Wednesday. Soria gave up four hits and four runs in the eighth inning Tuesday night in a 10-8 loss to Oakland. According to Yost, he has been pitching in pain for two weeks. ... A's RHP Chris Hatcher, who was acquired Tuesday from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for $500,000 international slot money, made his Oakland debut and pitched a perfect sixth inning with one strikeout. RHP Josh Smith was optioned to Triple-A Nashville, opening a spot on the 25-man roster for Hatcher. ... LHP Sam Moll was acquired by Oakland from Colorado in exchange for a player to be names later or cash considerations. Moll, who has spent the entire season at Triple-A Albuquerque, was assigned to Triple-A Nashville. RHP Zach Neal was designated for assignment, clearing a spot on the A's 40-man roster for Moll. Neal had been pitching for Nashville.