Davis, Semien help A's power past Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Khris Davis and Marcus Semien belted three-run homers as the Oakland Athletics routed the Kansas City Royals 16-3 on Monday night.
The A's set season highs for runs and victory margin, while their 17 hits matched a season high.
Joey Wendle, Danny Valencia, Stephen Vogt and Davis, the A's starting first four hitters, combined to go 8-for-15 with three walks, eight RBIs and scored six runs.
Semien's 24th home run, tucked just inside the left-field foul pole with Davis and Yonder Alonso aboard, put an exclamation point on the A's five-run sixth, when they batted around for the second time in three innings.
Semien's shot came off Chris Young, who has allowed 27 home runs in 84 innings.
Left-hander Daniel Coulombe (3-1) struck out five in two perfect innings to pick up the victory.
Arismendy Alcantara and Ryon Healy each contributed two-run doubles in the ninth to cap off the A's scoring.
After the A's big sixth inning, Royals manager Ned Yost emptied his bench, including Hunter Dozier, a 2013 first-round draft pick making his big league debut in right field. A's manager Bob Melvin cleared his bench in the eighth, including Matt Olson and Renato Nunez, both just promoted from Triple-A Nashville, playing in their first major league game.
The A's had dropped 27 of their previous 40 games and were swept by Seattle at home over the weekend, but their victory damaged the Royals' chances of returning to postseason. The defending World Series champion Royals are four games out with 19 games left in the wild-card standings.
Davis' three-run homer, his 36th, to center in the third inning gave the Athletics a 3-0 lead. It was his 17th homer in 53 games since the All-Star break.
A's left-hander Ross Detwiler could not hold the lead for long. In the bottom of the inning, Paulo Orlando laced a two-run double to left, and he scored on Kendrys Morales' ensuing two-out single.
Morales has an RBI in seven consecutive games.
The A's batted around in a three-run fourth with four hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly off four Kansas City pitchers. Dillon Gee yielded singles to Bruce Maxwell and Brett Eibner, the A's eighth and ninth hitters, to open the inning. Wendle's sacrifice fly scored Maxwell and finished Gee's night after 74 pitches and 3 1/3 woebegone innings.
Brooks Pounders replaced Gee and gave up a double on his fifth pitch to Valencia with Eibner stopping at third. Rookie left-hander Scott Alexander replaced Pounders and on his first and only pitch, Vogt dumped a two-run single into right field. Young replaced Alexander and walked two to load the bases before getting out of the inning.
The A's tacked on a run in the fifth with Valencia's sacrifice fly scoring Eibner.
Detwiler was removed after four innings, surrendering three runs on six hits and two walks. Coulombe relieved Detwiler and worked a 1-2-3 fifth inning, striking out two.
NOTES: C Salvador Perez was a late scratch from the Royals' lineup after his fiance gave birth to a son on Monday. Sal Butera replaced him in the lineup. ... The A's promoted 1B-OF Matt Olson and 3B Renato Nunez, who are both 22, from Triple-A Nashville, which was eliminated from the Pacific Coast League playoffs on Sunday. ... The Royals recalled RHP Alec Mills from Triple-A Omaha. He made his big league debut on May 18, but he has pitched primarily in the minors this season. ... Royals RHP Kris Medlen still has shoulder weakness and likely won't pitch again this season. ... INF Raul Mondesi started 36 games at second base for the Royals after being recalled July 25, but he has been benched with a .183 average. "We need offense right now," Royals manager Ned Yost said. ... A's RHP Jharel Cotton and Royals LHP Danny Duffy are the Tuesday probables.