Davis, Lucroy back Montas as A’s beat Royals

Khris Davis belted two homers and Frankie Montas won his third straight start to lead the Oakland Athletics to a 7-2 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

Jonathan Lucroy drove in three runs and Dustin Fowler also homered as Oakland knocked off Kansas City for the second straight night. Marcus Semien went 3-for-4 and tripled in the eighth before scoring the game’s final run.

Montas (3-0) allowed two runs and six hits and has given up just three runs and 16 hits in 21 2/3 innings since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville. The right-hander struck out five Royals and walked one while reducing his ERA to 1.25.

Mike Moustakas hit a two-run homer for Kansas City, which dropped its sixth straight game. Alex Gordon went 3-for-4.

Royals right-hander Jakob Junis (5-6) served up all three of the homers and was roughed up for six runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked one while losing his third straight start.

Davis hit his first homer in the opening inning when he sent a 1-1 pitch over the fence in right-center field.

Fowler made it 2-0 with two outs in the third when he smacked a 1-2 pitch from Junis over the wall in right-center.

Davis went deep again in the fourth inning when he hit a leadoff blast to straightaway center. The homer on a 1-2 pitch was Davis’ 17th of the season.

Lucroy delivered an RBI single to center later in the inning to make it 4-0.

Semien and Stephen Piscotty hit one-out singles in the sixth before Lucroy sent a two-run double down the left field line to make it 6-0 and end Junis’ night.

Whit Merrifield hit a one-out single in the eighth and Montas was one out away from making it eight shutout innings when Moustakas sent a 3-2 fastball over the high wall in right. It was his 13th home run of the season.

Emilio Pagan replaced Montas, and the Royals threatened with Salvador Perez delivering a double and Abraham Almonte drawing a walk. Fellow right-hander Lou Trivino entered and extinguished the threat by retiring Gordon on a grounder.

Trivino struck out two during a perfect ninth in earning his first career save.

Montas was 1-5 with a 4.39 ERA in nine starts at Nashville before his recall.

Royals right fielder Jorge Soler departed in the second inning after bruising his left big toe. X-rays were negative, and he is listed as day-to-day.

–Field Level Media

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