Rookie grand slam carries Royals to 6-2 win against A’s

Kansas City pulled into a tie with the Minnesota Twins, a half-game behind the Los Angeles Angels for the second AL wild card slot.|
JANIE MCCAULEY
ASSOCIATED PRESS

OAKLAND - Cam Gallagher hit a grand slam for his first career home run and second big league hit, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 6-2 on Monday night.

Gallagher’s shot into the left-field seats in the sixth inning marked the first grand slam by a Royals rookie since Paulo Orlando connected in the first game of a doubleheader against Tampa Bay on July 7, 2015.

Jake Junis (5-2), recalled for his seventh stint with Kansas City this season, allowed two runs and four hits in six innings with two strikeouts and no walks.

The Royals moved into a second-place tie with the idle Twins, five games back of AL Central-leading Cleveland. Both the Royals and Twins are a half-game behind the Los Angeles Angels for the second AL wild card slot.

Alcides Escobar singled to load the bases in the sixth, and is 10 for 21 since an 0-for-21 stretch.

Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain robbed Boog Powell of a likely extra-base hit in the third with a great catch crashing into the wall.

Whit Merrifield hit an infield single to begin the game against A’s starter Jharel Cotton (5-10) and then stole his 20th base.

Cotton came off the disabled list July 30 from a right thumb blister and has an 8.71 ERA in four starts since. His winless stretch reached five starts and he is 0-3 since a victory at the White Sox on June 23.

The right-hander was tagged for six runs and eight hits in six innings. He dropped to 1-7 in nine night starts and 2-6 in 10 home outings.

NOTES

Gallagher’s grand slam earned Tim Brown of Shawnee, Kansas, $25,000 as part of the “Sonic Slam” inning promotion.

Oakland drew just 9,848 fans to the Coliseum for its second-smallest crowd of the season behind a July 17 game against Tampa Bay that attracted 9,736.

A’s catcher Josh Phegley is scheduled to travel today and play Wednesday for Triple-A Nashville at Tacoma in a rehab game as he returns from a strained left oblique that landed him on the disabled list July 25.

A’s right-handerBobby Wahl underwent thoracic outlet surgery to alleviate shoulder problems.

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