• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Straily gets first MLB win; A's blank Royals

Aug 17, 2012 - 4:54 AM Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Dan Straily worked 6 1/3 shutout innings in just is third major league game, and the Oakland Athletics got solo home runs from Yoenis Cespedes and Coco Crisp in a 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals to avoid a three-game sweep at Kauffman Stadium.

Straily (1-0) gave up just three hits while striking out two to pick up his first career win.

Jemile Weeks knocked in a run and Derek Norris scored for the A's, who snapped a three-game skid.

Grant Balfour picked up his ninth save of the season after retiring the side in order in the ninth.

Eric Hosmer had two hits, and Billy Butler and Salvador Perez each added base hits for the Royals, who lost for just the third time in nine tries.

Luke Hochevar (7-11) absorbed the loss after giving up three runs on four hits. He struck out five over seven-plus frames.

"I made those two mistakes there. I fell behind on Coco (Crisp) and I make an aggressive pitch, a fastball middle away. He put a good swing on it," Hochevar said. "With Cespedes, I threw two fastballs right by him on the outer half. I tried it a third time and he caught it."

The A's scored a run in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.

Crisp cracked a homer to right field in the sixth. The hit that barely cleared the green wall and caromed off a railing, was originally ruled a double on the field, but after a review it was overturned and Crisp was awarded his sixth homer of the season.

"I didn't know anything. It looked like a home run just the way it bounced up, but I was unsure. So I didn't do too much of a gesture," Crisp said. " (Oakland manager) Bob (Melvin) came out and asked them to review it and they did. They (the umps) saw it was a home run. I was uncertain."

Cespedes blasted a ball over the wall in left-center field in the seventh inning.

Norris walked and stole second before scoring on a Weeks base hit. Weeks ripped a grounder up the middle and Royals second baseman Chris Getz made a diving attempt to keep it in the infield, but it ricocheted off his glove and into center field.

The Royals had the bases loaded with two outs in the seventh, but Jerry Blevins entered from the bullpen and Getz flew out to center to end the threat.

Kansas City also filled the bases in the second, but Getz grounded out to cap the frame.

Game Notes

The A's are 15-44 when scoring lass than four runs ... Oakland is 19-12 since the All-Star break ... Kansas City hasn't been shut out since May 20 when it fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2-0. The Royals have been shut out four times this season.