Olson, Fowler lead A's rout with 2-HR games

KANSAS CITY -- Matt Olson and Dustin Fowler each belted two home runs in a 16-0 win over the Royals in the series opener on Friday, highlighting a pair of seven-run innings for the A's.
Olson's first jack, which came with one out in the second inning, traveled a projected 428 feet with a 108.1-mph exit velocity, according to Statcast™, over the right-field wall at Kauffman Stadium for a 1-0 lead. In the third, Olson launched a 456-foot blast that came off the bat at a scorching 110.3 mph.
Olson's second homer was the second-longest of the season for the A's -- just behind the 475-foot shot he hit on Thursday against the Rays. Combined with his second-inning blast, those three homers registered as three of the eight farthest-hit balls for Oakland this season -- and they came in three straight at-bats.
"Those are three impressive home runs he's hit in ... was it three consecutive at-bats?" manager Bob Melvin said. "That's a lot of distance in three at-bats."

Olson's second homer highlighted a tone-setting seven-run inning against Royals starter Ian Kennedy, who was tagged for five hits and two homers in the frame. Fowler also went deep in the third -- a 373-foot solo shot for his second of the season -- to make it 8-0.
In the ninth, with Oakland holding a 9-0 lead, Fowler went yard again -- this time off reliever Jason Adam -- and sparked another seven-run explosion.

Fowler entered the game on an 0-for-11 skid, his sudden power surge signaling that he may be out of the funk that has stuck with him since the previous homestand.
"I've been struggling here lately, so it was nice to be able to get that first hit out the way, and get two more tonight," Fowler said, "and thankfully they were home runs."