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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- After hitting .368 and averaging more
than 10 runs a game during a nine-game winning streak, the Oakland
Athletics' offense fizzled Saturday and the streak came to an end.
|  | | Mark Quinn was mighty against the A's, hitting a 3-run homer. |
Mark Quinn hit a three-run homer and Luis Ordaz added three RBIs
with a two-run single and a sacrifice fly in the Kansas City
Royals' 8-3 win over the A's.
Oakland, which built its streak on home runs and big comebacks,
managed just two extra-base hits -- a first-inning double by Jason
Giambi and a ninth-inning double by Randy Velarde -- against a
pitcher making his first start of the season and three relievers.
The A's had outscored the Royals 49-16 while winning four
straight games over the past eight days, including a 21-3 win at
Kansas City last weekend.
"It feels good to just turn it around on them," said Ricky
Bottalico, who pitched the final 2 2-3 innings for the win. "They
were just beating the lights out of us for a while."
Dan Reichert, making his first start of the year after 26 relief
appearances, allowed one run in four innings. Bottalico (7-1)
survived a bases-loaded jam in the seventh when first baseman Mike
Sweeney made a leaping grab of Eric Chavez's liner to end the
inning.
"They just put some hits together and their bullpen did a good
job of coming in and shutting us down," A's manager Art Howe said.
"The play Sweeney made changed the whole game."
Quinn's eighth homer of the season knocked Gil Heredia out in
the sixth. Ordaz had his two-run single in the fifth, when the
Royals -- who broke a three-game losing streak -- also got an RBI
single by Jeff Reboulet.
Heredia (9-5) allowed six runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
He's 2-4 at home this season, 7-1 on the road.
"I gave one up to Quinn, and that was the key hit of the
game," said Heredia, who failed to win his 10th game of the year
and extend the team's winning streak to 10 games. "I wanted No.
10, but more for the team than myself."
Giambi, Velarde and Miguel Tejada had RBI singles for the A's.
Giambi, who went 3-for-4 with a walk, had reached base safely in
nine consecutive plate appearances before striking out in the
ninth. He went 3-for-3 with two walks in the A's 10-6 win over the
Royals on Friday night.
Giambi, who had a homer and two doubles on Friday night, is
hitting .500 (19-for-38) against the Royals this season.
Royals manager Tony Muser said Reichert, who was a starter in
the minors but was changed to a reliever during spring training
because of problems in the Kansas City bullpen last season, will
now stay in a starting role.
"He was calm, he threw a semblance of strikes and came out down
1-0," Muser said. "We're going to start him."
Game notes
A's pitching coach Rick Peterson was ejected in the sixth
by plate umpire Gerry Davis, the first ejection for Oakland this
season. ... The nine-game winning streak matched the fourth longest
in Oakland history and was the longest in the AL this season. ...
Quinn's homer was just the eighth allowed by Heredia in 94 innings
this season. ... Oakland's Terrence Long extended his hitting
streak to 13 games with a pair of singles. ... Bottalico, who began
the season as the Royals' closer but lost the job in May, leads
Kansas City in wins and his five saves leave him just one behind Jerry Spradlin for the team lead. ... Giambi, who came in second in the AL with 72 RBI, has 21 RBI in his last 15 games.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Kansas City Clubhouse
Oakland Clubhouse
A's Chavez rides cycle to $11.75M contract extension
RECAPS
Cleveland 8
Detroit 1
Detroit 14
Cleveland 8
(2nd game)
NY Yankees 12
Chi. White Sox 8
Kansas City 8
Oakland 3
Toronto 6
Boston 4
Seattle 2
Baltimore 1
Tampa Bay 9
Texas 7
Minnesota 11
Anaheim 5
St. Louis 6
Los Angeles 1
Philadelphia 8
Montreal 1
San Francisco 13
Houston 4
Cincinnati 11
San Diego 5
Florida 7
Chicago Cubs 4
Milwaukee 2
Atlanta 1
NY Mets 10
Pittsburgh 8
Colorado 4
Arizona 0
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