Frustrated by a lackluster offense, Royals manager Ned Yost reassembled his lineup on Saturday morning at Oakland Coliseum.
He moved Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez up one spot in the batting order and made Alex Gordon the cleanup hitter for the first time since 2014.
The results were mixed: Gordon hit a solo home run in the ninth inning and Ryan Goins scored the Royals’ first run of the game on Paulo Orlando’s RBI single up the middle in the second inning.
But minimal production was all the Royals needed in 2-0 win over the Athletics, as opening-day starter Danny Duffy turned in his best performance of the season.