Manaea, A's down Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Sean Manaea collected his first career road victory as the Oakland Athletics downed the Kansas City Royals 8-0 Wednesday night.
Manaea, who was 0-6 with a 6.44 ERA in his first eight road starts, handcuffed the Royals on three hits for five innings. After walking one and giving up two singles in the first, Manaea (6-9) limited Kansas City to one hit the next four innings.
Relievers John Axford, Liam Hendriks, and Chris Smith completed the four-hit shutout.
The Royals have lost five of seven and continue to lose ground in the wildcard standings with the season winding down.
The A's widen the margin with a three-run eighth. Khris Davis had a two-run single off Brandon McCarthy, giving him six RBIs for the series. Ryon Healy's two-out single off left-hander Scott Alexander scored Davis with the final run.
Yonder Alonso picked up right where he left off Tuesday when his pinch-hit two-run double keyed a four-run eighth as the A's rallied to win. Alonso had a broken-bat double to left field with the bases loaded in the first inning to score Danny Valencia and Stephen Vogt.
Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura required 27 pitches in the first inning and needed another 39 in the third.
After Ventura retired the first two batters in the third on 11 pitches, the A's reeled off five consecutive hits to score three more runs. Alonso -- who else? -- started it with a single.
Ryon Healy singled, moving Alonso to third. Marcus Semien drilled a double to right, scoring both. Bruce Maxwell's single scored Semien and Brett Eibner's double to left moved Maxwell to third before Ventura struck out Joey Wendle to end the inning.
Ventura was replaced by Brian Flynn after 100 pitches in 4 1/3 innings. His unwieldy line consisted of five runs on seven hits, four walks, a hit batter, two wild pitches and five strikeouts
Left-hander Sean Manaea, who the A's acquired from the Royals for Ben Zobrist on July 28, 2015, blanked Kansas City on three singles the first five innings.
NOTES: RHP Sonny Gray, who is on the disabled list with a forearm strain, threw a 20-pitch bullpen session and is scheduled to throw 30 pitches off the mound Friday. ... The Royals have requested unconditional waivers on OF Rey Fuentes, who was the starting right fielder for the season opener. ... Royals manager Ned Yost said he is not "abandoning" Joakim Soria, who blew his seventh save Tuesday. "'Jack' has shown signs of being able to come in and boom, boom, boom, shut an inning down," Yost said. "And then he's had times where it was like last night and five or six other times where he hasn't been able to do it." ... A's manager Bob Melvin indicated 1B Matt Olson would get his first big league start Thursday. RHP Daniel Mengden and Royals RHP Edinson Volquez will start the series finale.