Oakland 5, Kansas City 0
When: 7:10 PM ET, Saturday, April 18, 2015
Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Temperature:
65°
Umpires:
Home -
Jim Joyce, 1B -
Greg Gibson, 2B -
Marvin Hudson, 3B -
Chad Fairchild
Attendance:
33151
By The Sports Xchange
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Josh Reddick hit a three-run homer, right-hander Jesse Hahn pitched superbly into the sixth before leaving with a finger blister and both benches emptied in the fourth as the Oakland Athletics shut out the Kansas City Royals 5-0 Saturday night.
The A's have outscored their opponents 47-1 in their six victories. It was the A's major league best fifth shutout.
Hahn limited the Royals to three singles, got 10 of 17 batters to ground out, including catcher Salvador Perez and designated hitter Kendrys Morales rolling into double plays, in 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Hahn, however, exited after only 65 pitches with a blister on his middle right finger in the sixth and was replaced by right-hander Jesse Chavez.
Chavez held the Royals to four hits during the final 3 2/3 innings to notch the Athletics' first save of the season.
Reddick's blast with two A's aboard came in a five-run fourth, the same inning the benches cleared. It was the first home run for Reddick, who began the season on the disabled list with a right oblique strain.
The Athletics exploded for five runs in the fourth inning, and then the explosions began on the field.
After catcher Stephen Vogt hit an RBI double and designated hitter Billy Butler extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a run-producing single, right fielder Josh Reddick hit a three-run bomb to right field to give the A's a 5-0 lead.
Right-hander Yordano Ventura's next pitch, a 99 mph fastball, hit third baseman Brett Lawrie in the left side. Ventura was immediately ejected by plate umpire Jim Joyce. Lawrie had created controversy in the seventh inning Friday when his hard slide injured shortstop Alcides Escobar, who was unable to play Saturday because of a sprained left knee.
As Lawrie walked to first base Saturday, both dugouts and bullpens emptied. The Royals formed a protective line in front of Ventura as he left the field and was replaced by right-hander Yohan Pino, who was just promoted from Triple-A Omaha.
Ventura, who won his first two starts, was charged with five runs on four hits, two walks and a hit batter in 3 1/3 innings.
The Royals wasted a scoring opportunity in the third, when second baseman Omar Infante led off with a double and moved to third on center fielder Sam Fuld's throwing error. The Royals, however, failed to get Infante home as shortstop Christian Colon and right fielder Paulo Orlando grounded out with the infield drawn in and third baseman Mike Moustakas ended the inning with a flyout to right.
NOTES: The Royals placed RHP Greg Holland, who saved 46 games last season and another seven in the playoffs, on the 15-day disabled list because of a right pectoral strain. Manager Ned Yost said RHP Wade Davis will close games while Holland is out. The Royals made three other roster moves, recalling RHP Yohan Pino and INF Orlando Calixte from Triple-A Omaha and optioning OF Reymond Fuentes to the Storm Chasers. ... Oakland RHP Jarrod Parker, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, threw 33 pitches in three innings Saturday in an extended spring game in Arizona. ... Kansas City SS Alcides Escobar, who has not missed a game since Sept. 26, 2013, was not in the lineup because of a sprained left knee -- the result of a hard slide by A's 3B Brett Lawrie in the seventh inning Friday. Escobar said it was "a dirty slide" because there was no way he could turn a double play. ... LHP Scott Kazmir is 6-0 with a 1.75 ERA in eight April starts over the last two seasons. He will start the series finale Sunday, while the Royals will counter with LHP Danny Duffy.
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
| Oakland
|
8 |
1 |
12 |
.235 |
13 |
6 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
| Kansas City
|
7 |
0 |
9 |
.219 |
15 |
6 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
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