Triggs pitches Athletics to another win over Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Andrew Triggs pitched six scoreless innings and Jed Lowrie drove in three runs as the Oakland Athletics continued their domination of the Kansas City Royals with an 8-3 victory Wednesday night.
The A's extended their winning streak to eight over the Royals. They have outscored the Royals 53-15 in winning their last six games at Kauffman Stadium.
Triggs (2-0) has not allowed an earned run in 11 2/3 innings in his two starts. He yielded four hits, walked one and struck out three in beating the Royals.
Ironically, Triggs came up through the Royals' farm system, a 19th-round pick in 2012, but was discarded in 2015, his contract sold to Baltimore.
In a March 27 spring training start against Kansas City, Triggs yielded eight runs on eight hits, including three home runs in 3 2/3 innings. In the rematch when it counted, Triggs was in complete control.
The A's batted around in a four-run sixth with Lowrie driving in a pair of runs with a bases-loaded double off the right-field wall off Chris Young. Rajai Davis and Matt Joyce singled home the other runs in the inning.
Jason Hammel (0-1) allowed four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
The Royals broke a 19-inning scoreless drought with two runs in the eighth off Liam Hendriks.
Lorenzo Cain's third hit, an infield single, scored Raul Mondesi with the first run. Eric Hosmer singled home Mike Moustakas with the other run.
Mondesi homered with two out in the ninth for the final Kansas City run.
The A's led 4-0 after five innings.
Rajai Davis had an RBI double in the third. Yonder Alonso produced a run-scoring single and Trevor Plouffe lifted a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Marcus Semien manufactured a run in the fifth. He led off with a walk, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Jed Lowrie's flyout to Brandon Moss in left.
The Royals went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and fell to 2-6.
NOTES: The Royals promoted LHP Scott Alexander and RHP Jake Junis from Triple-A Omaha. Both will be used in relief, giving the club an eight-man bullpen. They replaced OF Terrance Gore, who was optioned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, and LHP Matt Strahm, who was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. ... DH Ryon Healy, who had batted third in seven of the first eight A's games, was dropped to sixth. ... Alex Gordon played right field for the Royals for the first time since July 27, 2010. It was only his fourth start in right. ... The A's are removing the tarps covering the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum third-deck seats. With more than 12,000 additional seats, that will bring the capacity to 47,170. ... A's RHP Jesse Hahn and Royals LHP Jason Vargas are the Thursday probables.