John Rave lined a three-run go-ahead double to highlight a seven-run eighth inning, and Vinnie Pasquantino homered for one of his three hits as the Kansas City Royals beat the visiting Athletics 9-7 on Wednesday night.
Kansas City trailed 5-2 entering the eighth, which Maikel Garcia led off with a stand-up triple. Pasquantino followed with an RBI single off the right-field fence and later scored on Kyle Isbel’s single to left field.
Later in the inning, Isaac Collins tied things with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly. With the bags full again and two out, Rave — who entered as a pinch-hitter for the injured Jac Caglianone (right ankle soreness) in the fifth — broke an 0-for-15 slump when he cleared the bases by sending a pitch from Drew Rom (1-1) into the right-field corner. Garcia plated Rave on a single to cap the big inning for Kansas City, which has won the first three of this four-game set.
Seth Lugo allowed five runs and nine hits in six innings for the Royals, who got a scoreless inning from veteran Craig Kimbrel (1-2).
A’s starter Jeffrey Springs came off the injured list to allow two runs on five hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings. Teammate Jeff McNeil had two hits with two RBIs.
The Athletics wasted no time getting to Lugo, scoring twice through the first three batters he faced. Henry Bolte, who finished 2-for-5, led off the game with a single, then scored on a McNeil double into left-center field. Zack Gelof followed with an RBI single.
Springs, meanwhile, allowed just one hit until the fourth inning. Pasquantino singled to open that frame, went to second on a balk and scored on Salvador Perez’s double to get the Royals on the board.
The Athletics added on in the fifth. That included four consecutive singles, including an RBI apiece from Bolte and McNeil. The A’s made it 5-1 on Gelof’s run-scoring fielder’s choice.
Kansas City got a run back in the sixth when Pasquantino recorded his 500th career hit, clearing the right-field fence on a career-high 29th homer yielded by Shields this season.
Max Muncy, one of five A’s with two hits, clubbed a two-run homer in the ninth.
