Miscue in third looms large in A's loss

OAKLAND -- The A's nearly got out of a two-out, two-on jam, but instead, an errant throw from Ike Davis to a covering Jesse Hahn turned into two unearned runs for the Royals.

Kansas City scored three runs in the third inning, taking control of a game it went on to win 5-2 at the Coliseum on Friday night.

On that play, Eric Hosmer hit a soft grounder in Davis' direction. Davis shuffled to his right, fielded the ball and tossed it in Hahn's direction. The ball skirted away from a lunging Hahn, and Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain scored.

"That's a tough play," Hahn said. "It's one of those inbetween ground balls there. You really have to be perfect to make that play, and I just couldn't get to it."

The miscue summed up a rough night for Hahn and the A's, as the right-hander allowed more than one earned run for the first time in three starts.

Hahn also allowed two solo home runs in six innings of five-run (three earned) ball, but the two unearned runs were perhaps the most deflating and the toughest to swallow.

"It's tough, but I can't let that get to me there," he said. "I have to come back and focus on the next hitter and the next pitch."

He struck Kendrys Morales out swinging, but the damage was done.

From Davis' perspective, the play was his fault. If he were right-handed, he said, the throw would have been a lot easier.

"I just threw a changeup to him," Davis said. "Instead of throwing it, I kind of just bobbled it and didn't really throw it as hard as I wanted to."

The A's entered the game winners of five in a row and nine of 11. They were not in last place for the first time since May 7, and things were looking more promising for Oakland.

On Friday, though, the team reverted to its old habits, committing a costly error and struggling to make timely pitches and plays.

"It was a weird night, very strange," Hahn said. "I do think I could have done a lot better job of getting ahead of hitters."