Royals sprint past A's with Orlando's RBI triple
KANSAS CITY -- Rookie Paulo Orlando hit his fourth triple of the season, driving in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning off A's right-hander Dan Otero as the Royals held on for a 6-4 win on Friday night in front of 39,228 fans at Kauffman Stadium.
"I missed my spot by probably 18 inches trying to come hard in," Otero said. "Just came back over, outside corner."
Omar Infante, who had singled in a run in the sixth, added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
A's catcher Stephen Vogt blasted two homers for Oakland, and Ike Davis added another.
Sonny Gray started for the A's and lasted six innings, giving up 11 hits and four runs.
Video: OAK@KC: Holland nails down the save and a Royals win
Greg Holland got his fourth save for the Royals.
The benches cleared in the seventh inning when A's third baseman Brett Lawrie slid hard into second base and injured Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar, who had to be assisted off the field. The Royals indicated Escobar sustained a mild sprain of the left knee along with a contusion. He is considered day to day.
"We're defending AL champs and teams are gunning for us," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "But I didn't think [Lawrie] was doing anything intentional."
"No one's trying to hurt anybody there," Lawrie said. "I'm just trying to break up a double play."
Manager Ned Yost said he was told by trainer Nick Kenney that the Royals "dodged a bullet" regarding Escobar's injury.
"Probably only a couple days," Yost said. "But we'll see tomorrow."
Video: OAK@KC: Hard slide injures Escobar, benches clear
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Paulo from Sao Paulo: Orlando, just the third Brazilian to reach the Major Leagues, had not had good swings against Gray, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. But Orlando, whose only hit this season that isn't a triple was an infield single on Thursday, laced a liner into the right-field gap that scored pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson.
"They had been going inside on me all game," Orlando said, "and I finally got a pitch outside I could drive. Once it got over the second baseman, I thought it might be a triple."
Death by papercut: The Royals put together a peculiar three-run third inning, all with two out and all without really hitting a ball hard. Lorenzo Cain, who earlier extended his hitting streak to 10 games, bounced a roller through the right side, then stole second. Hosmer flared an RBI hit to left. Kendrys Morales dropped a single into right. Alex Gordon rolled a seeing-eye RBI single to right. And Salvador Perez rolled an RBI single to right.
Video: OAK@KC: Vogt hits two homers against the Royals
Vogt to the rescue: Vogt launched two game-tying home runs to right field off Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie, one in the fourth to knot the score at 3, and another to lead off the seventh to tie it at 4. It was the first multi-home run game of Vogt's career. The catcher finished with three hits, having begun his night with a double in the second. More >
QUOTABLE
"I promise you I am not moving one ounce better in the white shoes. I might look like it, but I actually think I'm slower. … I still got a bag in the playoffs. They can't take that away from me." -- former Royals and present Oakland DH Billy Butler
Video: OAK@KC: Butler singles in his return to Kauffman
REPLAY REVIEW
A's manager Bob Melvin challenged the out call at second base in the seventh, when Lawrie slid into Escobar. The call was ruled as stands, after the replay official could not definitively determine whether Lawrie's hand was on second base. More >
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: The Royals will send out right-hander Yordano Ventura for the 6:10 p.m. CT start against the A's on Saturday. Ventura has won both of his starts (2.31 ERA) but he left each because of cramps. The Royals' training staff has worked to keep Ventura hydrated in between his last start and now.
Athletics: Right-hander Jesse Hahn makes his third career start for the A's and first against the Royals on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. PT. Hahn is still looking for his first win in green and gold, having gone 0-1 with a 3.09 ERA in his first two starts.
Watch every out-of-market regular season game live on MLB.TV.