LDN - Sports

Four-run 8th pushes A's over Royals

[September 14, 2016] KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Oakland Athletics bullpen is 2-0 in the first two games of this series, while the vaunted Kansas City Royals bullpen has been vulnerable.

Khris Davis homered again and Yonder Alonso hit a pinch two-run double with two out in a four-run eighth inning as the Athletics topped the Royals 5-4 Tuesday night.

Royals starter Danny Duffy gave up a home run to Ryon Healy to lead off the eighth and after he walked Brett Eibner with one out, rookie left-hander Matthew Strahm relieved him. After Strahm gave up an infield single to Chad Pinder, Joakim Soria was summoned to protect a 3-2 lead.

Instead, Soria surrendered the two-run double to Alonso and a run-producing single to Marcus Semien. Soria has blown seven saves, matching his career worst, in eight opportunities.

"It wasn't up," Soria said. "It was a changeup down and he hit it well. He clear (center fielder Jarrod) Dyson. It wasn't a bad pitch. I never think about previous performance. I'm just thinking about how get the game done and win this game."

Royals manager Ned Yost said he still has confidence in Soria.

"I have confidence in all my guys," Yost said. "If I didn't, they wouldn't be on this team."

He said closer Wade Davis was unavailable and he was not going to use Kelvin Herrera to work more than one inning.

"The last time I used Kelvin in a four-out save, it took him two days to recover and I'm not doing that again," Yost said.

So Soria was his option to wriggle out of the eighth inning.

Duffy restricted the A's to three hits over 7 1/3 innings, but is 0-1 with three no-decisions in his past four starts.

Strahm (2-1) took the loss, while John Axford (6-2) picked up the victory. Ryan Madson, who was a member of the Royals' bullpen last season, gave up a run in the ninth on a single, a walk and a balk in the ninth before collecting his 30th save. Jarrod Dyson scored on Madson's balk with two out.

"We got some big hits late," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "You've seen us have games like that before where our at-bats have gotten better as the game went along. Certainly when Duffy came out we, you know, he was pitching really well against us. But, typically you don't score runs off the Kansas City bullpen; we were able to do it today."

While the Athletics are in last place in the AL West, they are putting a damper on the Royals' postseason hopes.

"We're just trying to play good baseball, quality baseball, and let a lot of these young guys show their talents and the older guys finish up the year strong," Madson said. "I don't know that we're looking for a lift. I don't think this team has ever been down, mentally wise, or whatever, or spirit wise. We've been good all year long. That's one thing I can say about this team. You can't tell what our record is by how we play. And that's part of this team."

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The Royals got a run in the sixth when Alcides Escobar's single scored Salvador Perez.

Jharel Cotton, a 24-year-old right-hander who was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Aug. 1 trade for Josh Reddick and Rich Hill and was making his second major league start, gave up two unearned runs with two out in the fourth inning.

After retiring the first two batters, Cheslor Cuthbert doubled over the head of center fielder Jake Smolinski. Next, Semien booted Alcides Escobar's grounder for his 19th error, which is the most among big league shortstops. After Escobar swiped second, his 17th stolen base, Paulo Orlando rolled a single into left field, scoring Cuthbert and Escobar. Orlando raised his average to .331, seventh in the majors, with two out.

Khris Davis cut the lead in half when he jumped on Danny Duffy's first pitch and drove it 424 feet over the right-field fence. It was Davis' 37th home run and his second in as many nights.

Duffy, who was 0-1 with two no-decisions in his previous three starts, had held the A's to one single in the first four innings while facing the minimum number of hitters. He coaxed Stephen Vogt and Semien to ground into double plays in the second and fourth innings.

NOTES: Oakland's Marcus Semien topped AL shortstops with 24 home runs heading into Tuesday's action. His Monday homer was his first since Aug. 7, snapping a season-high 28-game homerless streak. ... Royals RHP Chien-Ming Wang, who went on the disabled list Aug. 31 with right biceps tendinitis, is eligible to be reinstated Wednesday, but probably will not be. ... A's DH Renato Nunez, who hit 26 home runs, including three in the Pacific Coast League playoffs, made his first big league start and was among five rookie starters. The A's have used 19 rookies this season, two shy of the Oakland record of 21 in 2008. ... Royals RHP Alec Mills has walked five, allowed five runs and retired five in his first two big league appearances. ... A's LHP Sean Manaea and Royals RHP Yordano Ventura are the Wednesday probables.

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