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 Raul Ibanez's homer on the first pitch he saw from Gray in the
fifth inning was the only scoring Friday evening as the Kansas City
Royals defeated the A's 1-0 at the Coliseum.
"I was just looking for something good to hit," Ibanez said. "I was
looking for a pitch that I could get the fat part of the bat on and
hit a line drive with. I just jumped on the first pitch I saw that
was good. He's got good stuff and I didn't feel like waiting around
too long."
It was the 42-year-old designated hitter's fifth homer of the
season.
Gray's six-game winning streak ended as Oakland was shut out for the
fifth time this season -- and Gray has been on the mound for four of
those.
Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie threw six scoreless innings and didn't
allow a baserunner until the fourth inning.
"You could tell early on it might be a low-scoring game," A's
manager Bob Melvin said. "Both guys threw the ball real well."
Guthrie allowed three hits and two walks and struck out six in
improving to 7-9.
"It's not something we've done a whole bunch lately -- a 1-0 win. We
should be very excited," Guthrie said. "It means you pitched well,
you played good defense and you got a big hit from somebody and
tonight it was Raul. 1-0 wins are big wins."
At 66-42, the A's retained the best record in baseball but watched
the Angels gain another game in the standings. They are one behind
Oakland in the American League West after a win at Tampa Bay earlier
in the day.
Oakland traded slugger Yoenis Cespedes to Boston one day earlier,
and the team's offensive struggles began with the middle of the
order.
Left fielder Brandon Moss, batting cleanup, went 0-for-4 and
stranded four runners, including two men at third. Shortstop Jed
Lowrie, hitting fifth, struck out three times and was visibly upset
at called third strikes that ended the fourth and sixth innings.
"I thought Guthrie made pitches on those corner -- borderline -- and
got a lot of calls," said Lowrie, who emphasized that the strike
zone was big for both teams and the calls not one-sided. "You can't
fault a guy for making a good pitch and getting a call. It's just
frustrating when it happens all night."
Overall, the A's -- who lead the majors in runs -- went 0-for-7 with
runners in scoring position.
Gray worked seven innings and gave up three hits and one run while
striking out seven. He walked none. In his past six starts, Gray has
a 1.07 ERA. The loss was his first since June 13.
It was Gray's first career start against the Royals and Kansas City
manager Ned Yost was impressed, saying, "You look at his numbers,
you look at his stuff on video and he's a fantastic young pitcher.
He's got a lot of weapons he can get you out with. Fortunately for
us, Raul ran into one and that was all we needed."
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Right fielder Josh Reddick had three hits for the A's, including a two-out
double in the ninth inning. Greg Holland then struck out Alberto
Callaspo for his 30th save.
Kansas City has won eight of its past 10 games overall and snapped a
four-game losing streak to Oakland.
NOTES: Royals 1B Eric Hosmer, who has a non-displaced fracture of the
third metacarpal bone in his right hand, had a CT scan Friday and Kansas
City expects the results Saturday morning. The team wants to completely
rule out the possibility of season-ending surgery for Hosmer, who was
hit by a pitch July 20 and then again Sunday. Manager Ned Yost said
Hosmer will be out three or four weeks even if there is no surgery
required. ... Left-handed starter Jason Vargas (appendectomy) will come
off the disabled list Saturday, and the Royals will place Hosmer on the
DL to make room. ... According to the Kansas City Star, the Royals are
considering picking up Mike Carp to help fill in at first base with
Hosmer out. Carp was designated for assignment by Boston on Friday. ...
OF Coco Crisp remained out of Oakland's lineup with a neck injury;
manager Bob Melvin said Crisp has received some trigger-point injections
to help alleviate discomfort. He was unavailable on the bench on Friday
and his status for the weekend was unclear. He is listed as day to day.
.. New A's LHP Jon Lester, acquired Thursday from Boston along with OF
Jonny Gomes for OF Yoenis Cespedes, spoke at a news conference before
the game Friday and said, "Obviously, going from a team that hasn't done
so well this year to a team with the best record in baseball is pretty
exciting." Lester will start Saturday's game against Kansas City. ... OF
Sam Fuld, acquired from the Minnesota Twins for LHP Tommy Milone on
Thursday, was in Oakland's lineup playing center field and batting
leadoff. ... The A's released RHP Jim Johnson, who had been designated
for assignment last week.
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