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A's beat Royals to snap 9-game skid

Jun 2, 2012 - 11:30 PM Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Yoenis Cespedes went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored as Oakland snapped a nine-game losing streak Saturday with a 9-3 win over Kansas City.

Adam Rosales and Josh Reddick both drove in two runs for the Athletics, who had scored just 12 runs during their losing streak. Brandon McCarthy (4-3) gave up just two runs on eight hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts over six innings to win his fourth straight decision.

"I had no idea that's where my pitch count was at," said McCarthy, who threw 71 pitches as he was making his first start since May 17 as he took a stint on the disabled list with a right shoulder injury. "Taking that little time off, it catches up to you a little faster than you're used to."

Jeff Francoeur had two hits and an RBI while Jarrod Dyson added three hits and a run scored for the Royals, who had won five of six coming in, including the opener of this three-game series Friday.

Luke Hochevar (3-6) gave up six runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings and lost his third straight decision.

"We had some opportunities to score some runs that we didn't capitalize on," said Kansas City manager Ned Yost. "We made some really bad errors and the pitching wasn't there today."

Oakland worked a run across in the first as Jemile Weeks led off with a triple and scored on a Collin Cowgill ground out, but Kansas City got it back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Francoeur.

The score remained that way until the fourth when Cespedes wound up on third after a double and error to Dyson and scored on a wild pitch to give Oakland a 2-1 lead.

The Athletics then plated four runs in the fifth. With runners on the corners and two outs, Reddick chased home both with a triple to right-center. Cespedes followed with an RBI single and came home himself on a double by Kila Ka'aihue off Tim Collins for a 6-1 lead.

Kansas City had runners in each of the first four innings, but was only able to push one across and was retired in order in the fifth.

The Royals scored a run in the sixth inning on an Eric Hosmer double and another in the seventh when Yuniesky Betancourt's sac fly plated Dyson to make it a 6-3 game.

The A's, though, put the game away in the eighth. With runners on second and third, Aaron Crow came on the mound and Rosales greeted him with a single that plated both runners. Rosales later scored when a Reddick reached base on an Alcides Escobar error for a 9-3 lead.

Ryan Cook worked a scoreless eighth and Jerry Blevins did the same in the ninth to nail down the win.

Game Notes

Royals catcher Humberto Quintero was ejected by home plate umpire Paul Schrieber for arguing balls and strikes...The Royals left eight men on base and batted 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position...Tom Milone pitches for Oakland in the rubber match on Sunday while Vin Mazzaro will toe the mound for Kansas City.