OAKLAND - Why win a baseball game conventionally?
That was the A's M.O. on Tuesday night, when they scored six times in the bottom of the eighth to register a come-from-behind 10-8 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Actually, the A's had to fall from ahead before they could come from behind.
The Royals homered three times in the top of the eighth to erase the A's 4-3 lead and go up 8-4, only to see the A's storm back with an offensive barrage of their own that included four hits in a row to start the bottom of the eighth.
All told, the teams combined for 11 runs in the eighth inning alone.
Matt Joyce delivered the key hit in the winning rally, clearing the bases with a three-run double that put Oakland up for good, 9-8.
Sports
Fitting that these two teams would stage such a back-and-forth affair in the late going. The A's and Royals entered the night tied for the major league lead with nine wins when trailing after the seventh inning.
BIG GAME AT THE TOP: Joyce led off the bottom of the first with a homer off Royals starter Jason Hammel, his fourth leadoff homer of the season. He finished with four RBI.
SMITH DENIED ‘W' - AGAIN: For the second time since joining the A's rotation, Chris Smith left a game in line for a victory only to have his bullpen cough up the lead. The 36-year-old veteran has registered just one victory in his major league career, and that came back in 2008. He has yet to win as a starter. He steadied himself after giving up three runs in the first before he recorded a single out. But Kansas City would get just one more hit off of him before he left the game after 5 1/3 innings.
THREE OF A KIND: The A's commanded a 4-3 lead on the strength of a homer in each of the first three innings. Joyce's blast was followed by Matt Olson's in the second (his fourth homer in five games) and Khris Davis' two-run shot in the third.
ADVENTURES OF SANTIAGO: Santiago Casilla had found a bit of a comfort zone since being demoted from the closer's role. He entered Tuesday not having been charged with a run in seven consecutive outings. But he allowed Alex Gordon's leadoff walk in the top of the eighth, then a two-run homer to No. 9 hitter Drew Butera that put the Royals ahead 5-4.
A's closer Blake Treinen would enter with one out and give up Eric Hosmer's two-run homer, then Mike Moustakas' solo blast two batters later made it 8-4. But after the A's rallied, Treinen came back to pitch a scoreless ninth to register the victory.
ANOTHER OPTION FOR THE ‘PEN: The A's acquired right-handed reliever Chris Hatcher from the Dodgers for $500,000 in international bonus money. The 32-year-old has a 4.72 ERA in 193 career appearances, all out of the bullpen. The team made no announcement on whether Hatcher would join the big club or go to the minors.
