A's Rock Royals For 16 Runs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Khris Davis and Marcus Semien hit three-run homers, the Athletics matched a season high with 17 hits while drawing 10 walks, and Oakland trounced the Kansas City Royals 16-3 on Monday night.
Daniel Coulombe (3-1) earned the win in relief of Ross Detwiler, though it was the Oakland offense that led the way. The A's scored their most runs this season for their largest margin of victory.
Royals starter Dillon Gee (6-8) was battered for five runs on five hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings, though he wasn't the only pitcher to melt down. He was followed by three relievers in a span of four batters in the fourth inning, when the A's marched nine to the plate and scored three times.
It was a potentially crippling loss for Kansas City (74-69), which began the day four back of the final wild-card spot with 20 games remaining. The Royals were hoping an eight-game stand against lowly Oakland and the scuffling White Sox would allow them to make up some ground.
There are still five teams they must leap in the wild-card race.
The A's are merely playing for pride, though they showed plenty of it. Everybody in the starting lineup had a hit with Stephen Vogt going 3 for 3 and walking twice.
Davis delivered the first big blow in the third inning when he splashed his 36th homer into the fountains in left field, a shot estimated at 447 feet.
And when the Royals matched him with three runs in the bottom half, the A's bounced right back to score three more.
Bruce Maxwell and former Royals prospect Brett Eibner opened the fourth with back-to-back singles, and Joey Wendle added a sacrifice fly to knock Gee from the game. By the time the inning ended, the A's had churned out four hits and two walks to take a 6-3 lead.
It was 8-3 when Semien went deep in the sixth, and Oakland merely piled on from there.
BIG LEAGUE DEBUTS
Royals OF Hunter Dozier and A's INF Renato Nunez and OF/INF Matt Olson made their major league debuts. Nunez and Olson were brought up from Triple-A Nashville prior to the game, with Olson taking the spot of departed DH Billy Butler on the 40-man roster.
SALVY'S BABY BOY
Royals C Salvador Perez was scratched from the starting lineup after his fiancé gave birth to a boy on Monday. His name is Johan Salvador and the Royals said mother and baby are doing well.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Royals RHP Kris Medlen (right rotator cuff inflammation) will not return this season, manager Ned Yost said. LHP Jason Vargas (Tommy John surgery) is also unlikely to pitch for Kansas City this season after making three rehab outings for Triple-A Omaha.
UP NEXT
RHP Jharel Cotton makes his second career start for the A's after beating the Angels in his debut last week. LHP Danny Duffy goes for his eighth win since the All-Star break for Kansas City.
