Alex Gordon finished 2 for 5 and produced a tie-breaking RBI single in the ninth. The Royals survived another bullpen collapse in a 7-6 victory over the Oakland A’s on Wednesday afternoon.
The performance was not pretty. The Royals matched a season high by leaving 12 men on base. Reliever Brandon Maurer blew a 6-4 lead in the eighth.
Yet, Kansas City found a way to escape Oakland with a victory on the final day of an eight-game road trip. Shortstop Alcides Escobar matched his season high with three hits and led off the ninth with a double to left field against A’s reliever Blake Treinen, a native of Osage City, Kan.