Soler Home Run Leads Royals Over A's 5-4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Jorge Soler hit a tie-breaking home run in the eighth inning, and the Kansas City Royals bounced back after wasting a four-run lead to defeat the Oakland Athletics 5-4 on Saturday for their third win in four games.
Tim Hill (1-1), a 28-year-old rookie left-hander, allowed Chad Pinder's tying single in the eighth and got his first major league win.
Soler hit his ninth home run on a curveball from Yusmeiro Petit (2-2) with an 0-2 count.
Kelvin Herrera pitched a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances.
Kansas City built a 4-0 lead on Salvador Perez's two-run double in the first and a two-run second helped by a replay reversal. Ryan Goins was called out at first by Cory Blaser when he tried to bunt for a single, then was ruled safe on a video review. Alcides Escobar tripled on the next pitch and scored on Jon Jay's double.
Oakland closed on RBI singles by Jed Lowrie in the third and Bruce Maxwell in the fourth, and Maxwell led off the seventh with his first home run since Sept. 2. That drive chased Jason Hammel, who allowed three runs and seven hits. Hammel had won his previous two outings after going 0-5 in his first nine starts.
Oakland starter Trevor Cahill, who pitched for the Royals last season, gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He has not won since beating the Chicago White Sox on April 17 in his first appearance this season.
ROSTER MOVE
Kansas City claimed OF Rosell Herrera off waivers from Cincinnati and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha. The 25-year-old hit .154 in 11 games this season for the Reds and .267 in 23 games with Triple-A Louisville.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Athletics: LF Matt Joyce (lower back tightness) left in the fifth inning. .., RHP Paul Blackburn (right forearm strain) is to make a minor league rehab start Tuesday for Triple-A Nashville. He has a limit of 75 pitches.
Royals: RHP Nate Karns (right elbow inflammation) was transferred to the 60-day DL.
UP NEXT
Oakland RHP Daniel Gossett (0-3, 6.05) and Kansas City RHP Jakob Junis (5-4, 3.61) are to start Sunday's series finale. Gossett is 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts since returning May 23 from the minors. Junis leads the Royals with 62 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings.
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