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Weeks, Gonzalez lead A's over Royals

Jun 17, 2011 - 1:01 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Jemile Weeks knocked in three runs and Gio Gonzalez tossed six strong innings to send the Athletics to an 8-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Scott Sizemore went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, Kurt Suzuki added two hits, including an RBI double, and Hideki Matsui smacked a home run for Oakland, which had lost 13 of its past 15 contests.

Gonzalez (6-5), who had lost his previous three outings, yielded only two runs on five hits while fanning 10 and walking two. He said he did his best while pitching with a cold.

"I wasn't feeling too good. I was under the weather," he admitted. "I was battling a lot, but with the help of all our position players, I did my best to keep us in the game as long as possible."

Wilson Betemit, Brayan Pena and Jeff Francoeur all had RBI doubles for the Royals, who saw failed to take the rubber match of this three-game series.

Royals starter Jeff Francis (3-7) went 3 1/3 innings in defeat, giving up six runs on nine hits while walking two.

"Falling behind on certain guys in certain situations doesn't do me any favors," Francis said. "Guys have a few more comfortable at-bats. Even when I do throw a good pitch they put some good swings on them. Execution all around I think could be a lot better."

Grant Balfour tossed a scoreless ninth to seal the win.

Oakland loaded the bases in the second on singles by Sizemore and Suzuki and a Conor Jackson walk. Daric Barton grounded into a fielder's choice, which scored Jackson.

Oakland plated three more in the inning. Weeks ripped a double to right to score Sizemore and Barton. Coco Crisp followed with an RBI single to right.

The A's added two runs in the third. Matsui led off the inning with a home run to right, his sixth of the season. Oakland then loaded the bases on a pair of singles and after Suzuki was hit by a pitch. Barton followed with an RBI groundout, which scored Josh Willingham and gave the A's a comfortable 6-0 lead.

The Royals got on the board with two runs in the fifth inning as Melky Cabrera singled in a run and Francoeur followed with an RBI hit to left, but the A's got one back in the bottom half when Weeks singled in Sizemore for a 7-2 margin.

The A's added another run in the seventh. After a Sizemore one-out single, Suzuki followed with an RBI double to left.

Kansas City picked up two runs in the eighth on back-to-back doubles by Betemit and Pena off reliever Michael Wuertz.

Game Notes

The Royals own a 2-4 mark this season against Oakland...The A's are 3-4 since Bob Melvin was named manager...Oakland is 7-7 in games started by Gonzalez...KC is 14-14 against AL West competition while Oakland is 13-15 against the AL Central...KC third baseman Mike Moustakas went 0-for-4 and is 5-21 in his young major league career...Royals rookie first baseman Eric Hosmer got the day off...Matsui's home run was the 499th of his professional career between the major leagues and the Japanese Professional League.