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Oakland's Melvin makes home debut with KC in town

Jun 14, 2011 - 2:43 PM (Sports Network) - Athletics manager Bob Melvin knows it is going to take some time to turn his new team around. Oakland fans may not be as patient as the squad returns home following a disastrous road trip to kick off a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals in Melvin's Coliseum debut.

The A's were bested in the finale of a four-game set with the White Sox on Sunday, dropping a 5-4 decision and recording just one win on a 10-game road trip. The set with Chicago was the first for Melvin, who took over prior to Thursday's opener after Bob Geren was fired earlier in the day.

Starter Guillermo Moscoso took the loss, allowing five runs -- four earned -- on six hits and four walks over 6 1/3 innings. One of those was a three-run homer by Chicago's Adam Dunn in the fourth inning.

"If you miss a pitch in this game, you're going to pay for it," Moscoso said of surrendering Dunn's homer. "I had to keep my focus and lasted a few more innings and luckily we tied the game."

Scott Sizemore erased an early two-run hole with a solo homer in the seventh inning, but committed an error in the bottom of the frame that allowed the go- ahead run to score. Moscoso was charged with one more run in the frame, unfortunate because Jemile Weeks plated a run in the ninth inning with a hit to account for the final score.

Coco Crisp recorded his 1,000th career hit in the first inning and finished 2- for-5 with two runs scored for the struggling A's, who were without Josh Willingham in the starting lineup due to a left Achilles strain. Willingham did pinch hit in the ninth inning and could start tonight.

Melvin will go with Trevor Cahill tonight after the right-hander made the start in the new manager's debut on Thursday. Cahill, though, could not deliver Melvin's first win -- that came on Friday -- after getting drilled for six runs in eight hits and three walks in just 2 2/3 innings of work.

The 23-year-old righty fell to 0-4 with a 5.35 earned run average in six starts since opening the season 6-0 with a 1.72 ERA. He now has a season ERA of 3.18 through 14 outings.

Cahill will make his sixth career start versus the Royals and is 3-1 with a 4.55 ERA versus them lifetime.

Kansas City has won three of four since a 4-14 stretch and picked up a series win over the Angels on Sunday with a 9-0 triumph. Vin Mazzaro earned his first victory of the season with seven shutout innings, working around five hits and five walks.

"Vin's stuff was great: His sinker, change and slider," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Our defense was spectacular today. Vin threw strikes when he needed to and let the defense help him out."

Kansas City turned five double plays in the game, with each one started by shortstop Alcides Escobar.

Alex Gordon collected three hits and knocked in a pair, while Billy Butler and Chris Getz each added two RBI for the Royals.

Danny Duffy chases his first major league win again tonight after going 0-2 with a 5.55 ERA through his first five MLB starts. The left-hander has picked up both of those losses over his last two outings, including a rough start versus the Blue Jays on Wednesday. Duffy gave up career highs of five runs and eight hits over the four-inning outing.

The 22-year-old has 17 walks and 18 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings and faces the A's for the first time.

The Athletics won two of three at Kansas City from May 6-8, giving them a win in nine of the past 13 meetings. Oakland has won six of its past eight at home versus the Royals.