PEORIA, Ariz. -- Alex Gordon led the way from the top of the lineup as the Royals pounced on the Padres early in their Cactus League meeting at Peoria Stadium on Thursday afternoon, racking up an eight-run second inning en route to a 13-3 victory.
Whit Merrifield's RBI triple highlighted the second-inning outburst, which included a pair of Padres errors. Gordon led off by reaching on an error and then scored in the first, had an RBI single in the second, and added a two-run home run in the fifth.

Padres starter Trevor Cahill, who had been impressive in camp going into Thursday's assignment, didn't make it out of the second. He was charged with seven runs, four of them earned, on five hits, leaving after he had reached 45 pitches.
"Honestly, the first inning was outstanding," Padres manager Andy Green said. "We didn't make any plays behind him. … I like what I see out of Trevor overall. Today just wasn't a good day."
Right-hander Josh Staumont, a 2015 second-round Draft pick who came to camp as a non-roster invitee, made the start for the Royals and shined with three shutout innings on just two hits, striking out five and walking none.
"Hopefully, I'm building this spring so that each performance is getting better," Staumont said.

Gordon, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs, reached on a Luis Sardinas error to begin the game and scored on a Paulo Orlando groundout to give the Royals a 1-0 lead in the first. Orlando's RBI single in the second knocked Cahill out of the game, and Kansas City wound up sending 13 hitters to the plate in the eight-run frame.
Padres first baseman Wil Myers left the game with neck tightness.
Luis Sardinas drove home the Padres' first run with an RBI single in the fourth, and Travis Jankowski went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk.

Royals Up Next:Nathan Karns toes the rubber for the Royals on Friday for a 3:05 p.m. CT tilt with the Brewers. It's Karns' fourth Cactus League start, and he was roughed up a bit in his previous two, allowing a combined six earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out seven over five innings. Watch the game on MLB.TV.
Padres Up Next: With Jared Weaver getting his work done in a Minor League game Friday, Walter Lockett will be making the start against the Dodgers in a 7:10 p.m. PT start under the lights at Peoria Stadium in the second of three night games for the Padres this spring.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.