Royals 4, Athletics 2
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Eric Hosmer hit a solo home run, Kendrys Morales went 3-for-4 with his 500th career RBI, and the Kansas City Royals defeated the Oakland A's 4-2 at the Coliseum on Friday night, winning their fourth straight game, all on the road.
The Royals led 3-2 with one out in the top of the ninth, but Hosmer extended their lead with his first home run of the season, a blast to deep center off A's left-hander Sean Doolittle. Hosmer crushed Doolittle's 1-1 fastball.
Royals right-hander Edinson Volquez (2-0) gave up two runs on four hits over six innings for his second win in three starts. He walked four, struck out two and threw 103 pitches.
Kelvin Herrera pitched a scoreless seventh, Joakim Soria a scoreless eighth and Wade Davis a perfect ninth for his fourth save in four chances for Kansas City.
The Royals, who are off to an 8-2 start, defeated Oakland for the fourth straight time at the Coliseum and for the eighth time in their past nine games overall. Kansas City went 5-1 against the A's last season with a three-game sweep in Oakland.
Shortstop Alcides Escobar had two hits, walked and scored a run, while Lorenzo Cain went 1-for-3, walked twice and scored once for Kansas City. Shortstop Omar Infante went 2-for-5 with a double and scored a run.
The A's lost their fourth straight game, all at home, and are 1-7 at the Coliseum and 4-7 overall.
A's catcher Stephen Vogt hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot leading off the fourth inning, and went 3-for-4 with two runs. Khris Davis had his first RBI of the season.
A's left-hander Rich Hill (1-2) gave up only three runs on nine hits but lasted just 4 1/3 innings in his third start of the season. He struck out six, walked three and left after throwing 106 pitches. Hill lasted only 2 2/2 innings in his A's debut, losing to the White Sox, but he gave up one run and struck out 10 over six innings in a bounce-back victory against Seattle.
A's relievers Fernando Rodriguez, Marc Rzepczynski and Ryan Dull combined to blank the Royals for four innings on two hits before Doolittle gave up a home run to Hosmer.
The Royals jumped to a 2-1 lead in the first inning, using three singles and a walk as Hill threw 30 pitches. Escobar worked a leadoff walk, went to second on Infante's infield single and scored on Cain's single to right as Infante advanced to third. Hosmer hit into a double play, bringing Infante home.
Vogt cut Kansas City's lead to 2-1, launching a leadoff home run into the right-field seats. The home run was Vogt's first since Aug. 30, 2015 against Arizona. He hammered Volquez's 2-2 curve over the out-of-town scoreboard.
The Royals answered with a run in the third, making it 3-1. Cain led off with a walk and moved to second on Hosmer's ground out. Morales singled sharply to center, driving in Cain for his 500th career RBI.
Vogt hit a leadoff single and scored from second with one out in the fourth when Davis singled sharply to center for his first RBI since coming to the A's in an offseason trade from Milwaukee.
Kansas City loaded the bases in the fifth, but right-hander Fernando Rodriguez got Christian Colon to hit into an inning-ending double play.
NOTES: A's INF Eric Sogard, who had been on a rehab stint with Class A Stockton for a strained neck, re-aggravated a left knee injury Wednesday and had an MRI on Thursday. Results are pending. "It was bothering him a while during spring," A's manager Bob Melvin said before Friday's game against Kansas City. "When you go get an MRI, it means we're concerned about it." ... Royals 3B Mike Moustakas, who has a sore hamstring, was out of the starting lineup. "He's been dealing with that for three or four days," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "It's not anything that's going to keep him from playing." ... A's RHP Ryan Madson, who pitched last season for the Royals, received his 2015 World Series Championship ring before the game from Yost. "It's always special to give somebody something that they've worked their whole life to get," Yost said. ... A's RHP Sonny Gray changed places with RHP Chris Bassitt in the rotation and will start Saturday against the Royals instead of Sunday. Gray will pitch on his regular four days' rest.