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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Facing his old team hurt Kevin Appier
almost as much as it did Kansas City.
Twice in the third inning, the one-time ace of the Royals had
liners smash into his right leg.
But he toughed it out and went seven strong innings to lead the
Oakland Athletics past the Royals 10-4 Saturday night for their
fourth straight win.
"I think he's got ice on just about every part of his body,"
Oakland manager Art Howe said.
Ben Grieve, Miguel Tejada and Sal Fasano homered for the A's,
who are 17-6 since breaking a five-game losing streak.
Appier (7-3), the ace of the Kansas City staff through most of
the '90s, improved to 6-0 on the road while facing his former team
for the first time since being traded last July.
"He took two shots in the same leg. He's one of the fiercest
competitors I know," said Fasano, another former Royal. "There
was no way he was going to come out."
Appier had a large bruise on the side of his right hip. He was
also struck just below the right knee.
"After you get hit, you don't know how bad it is," said the
Royals' career strikeout leader. "It may not hurt that bad but it
can throw your delivery off. But fortunately, they were painful but
I was able to keep pitching."
Although he left the Royals with strained feelings toward
manager Tony Muser, Appier insisted this game held only slightly
special significance. He gave up four runs and seven hits in seven
innings.
Appier retired the first six batters before getting hit in the
third.
"It was a little different, the first time pitching back here.
But it was just another ballgame," he said. "All our games are
important. This had a little bit different personal twist is all."
Grieve, who had a tiebreaking three-run homer Friday night, hit
a two-run shot in the first off Jay Witasick (1-6) and has homered
in four of the last five games. A three-run homer off Miguel
Batista by Tejada, who also homered the night before, keyed a
six-run sixth inning that made it 10-3.
Eric Chavez, stretching his career-long hitting streak to 14
games, had a two-run single in the sixth and Randy Velarde added an
RBI single.
The A's, whose 23-12 road record is the best in the majors, have
won nine road series, two more than last year.
Kansas City has allowed a major league-leading 113 homers, an
average of 1.7 per game.
"We've got to improve," Muser said. "You can only go as far
as your pitching pulls you. It's pretty tough to go out and score 8
or 10 runs a night."
Fasano hit his second home run of the year in the second, a
drive off Witasick. The former Oakland pitcher gave up four runs,
three hits and five walks in five innings.
Johnny Damon hit his league-leading eighth sacrifice fly in the
third and Carlos Beltran had a two-run homer in the fifth. Mike
Sweeney added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Game notes
LHP Jose Rosado will have arthroscopic surgery on his left
rotator cuff and be out for the year,. ... Allard Baird was
promoted from assistant general manager to general manager of the
Royals. Ten-year GM Herk Robinson was promoted to chief operating
officer. ... RHP Omar Olivares, who was injured while pitching to
the first Kansas City batter Friday night, was placed on Oakland's
15-day DL Saturday with a strained right shoulder. The A's recalled
reliever Luis Vizcaino from Triple-A Sacramento. ... After Witasick
walked the first two batters of the fifth, Chavez was caught too
far off the bag at second and thrown out, costing the A's a run
when Terrence Long singled. ... Oakland won only 10 games last June
but already has 11 victories this June. ... The A's are 9-2 in
games when Grieve homers.
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Baseball Scoreboard
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RECAPS
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