BOX SCORE
Rookie Tommy Milone benefited from strong defense behind him as he tossed eight shutout innings in the A's 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals Monday in Oakland.Royals left fielder Jason Bourgeois led off the game with a double, but was gunned down attempting to advance to third base on a fly out to right field. Josh Reddick fired the ball all the way from near the right field foul line to third base, where Josh Donaldson blocked the bag and applied the tag.Milone allowed just two more hits from that point on, both doubles, but none after the third inning. The 25-year-old left-hander walked three and had no strikeouts as he picked up the second win of his career and his first as an Athletic.The lone run of the game came in the second inning. After Yoenis Cespedes struck out to lead off the frame, Seth Smith reached on an infield single and came around to score three batters later on Donaldson's single to right field.That was all Milone, acquired in the offseason trade of Gio Gonzalez, would need. The last three 1-0 A's victories before Monday were all won by Gonzalez.
Milone threw 93 pitches, 52 for strikes, in his eight innings of work before giving way to A's closer Grant Balfour, who shut the door on the Royals for his second save of the season.Cespedes, who entered the game with home runs in his last two games, went hitless in three at-bats. He struck out twice and walked once.Catcher Kurt Suzuki was 3-for-3 and drew a walk in the middle of the A's second-inning rally.
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