Royals’ playoff hopes take hit with loss to A’s

KANSAS CITY — The homestand that was supposed to provide a launching pad for the Royals into serious postseason contention instead may have sealed the defending World Series champions’ fate.

The A’s completed a four-game sweep with a resounding 14-5 victory on Thursday night, outscoring the Royals 43-12 in the series. Oakland’s Joey Wendle notched his first four-hit game, and Ryon Healy had three hits, including a mammoth three-run homer that cleared the fountains in left-center field at Kauffman Stadium. Marcus Semien also hit a three-run homer for the A’s.

Right-hander Daniel Mengden, who was 1-7 with a 6.39 ERA entering the game, silenced the Royals on three hits through seven innings. He walked none and struck out six.

The loss reduced the Royals’ magic number to be eliminated from Wild Card contention to 12, pending the Blue Jays-Angels outcome. Toronto holds the second Wild Card spot in the American League.

The series provided the best run differential (31) in a four-game series in Oakland history (previous mark was 27 against Seattle on April 17-19, 1981). The Royals also set a record for most runs allowed in a four-game set with 43. The previous mark was 41, set in 1998 vs. the Yankees, and in 2006 vs. the Twins.

Royals infielder Christian Colon hit his first Major League home run, a three-run shot in the ninth inning. He …

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