When the parade of relievers was done, and the score was finally out of reach, Royals manager Ned Yost climbed the stairs of the first base dugout and trudged toward the mound once more.
His pace was quick but deliberate. His eyes shifted down for a second and then back up. As he reached the mound, a scatter of boos echoed throughout Kauffman Stadium.
It was the top of the sixth inning on Monday night, and already, Yost had made this journey three times. In this instant, it was right-hander Chris Young who was handing the ball back to Yost and walking back to the dugout. But it could have been starter Dillon Gee, right-hander Brooks Pounders or left-hander Scott Alexander.
All had pitched in the opening six innings, and all had failed to tame the bats of the Oakland A’s. The final score would say the Royals’ absorbed a 16-3 beating on Monday, falling in the opener of a homestand where enough losses could puncture the club’s faint playoff hopes.
But the white flag appeared in the top of the sixth inning, as the A’s poured on the offense against a wobbly Young, who had entered in the fourth inning.
Young would allow three hits. Third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert would make a costly throwing error. A’s shortstop Marcus Semien would execute the finisher, jumping on an 82 mph slider and sending a three-run shot screaming into the seats in left field.
When the baseball landed, the A’s led 11-3 and Young had allowed four runs (three earned). As Yost emerged from the dugout, the energy in this old stadium was gone.
In a macro sense, you could chalk up Monday as just one of those lost nights in a season. But considering the state of the Royals – just four games out of the second American League wild-card spot with 20 to play – the result felt like a technical knockout.
The last-place A’s (61-82) had scored just 14 runs in their previous five games. On Monday, they pounded out 17 hits and eclipsed 14 with a four-run ninth inning against rookie Alec Mills, who was activated before the game.
The Royals remained just four games out of a playoff spot as Baltimore took a similar beating in Boston. But with 19 games left, Kansas City failed to make up any ground on the five teams ahead of them in the wild-card picture.
Even more demoralising: The loss dropped the Royals to just 7-17 against the American League West, including a 2-8 record against the A’s and Angels, two teams who entered Monday a combined 38 games under .500.
The Royals were once again without outfielder Lorenzo Cain and catcher Salvador Perez as they opened an eight-game homestand. Cain remained on the bench with a sprained left wrist, while Perez was a late scratch, attending the birth of his second son, Johan Salvador Perez.
The baby boy was healthy and the moment elated Perez, who announced the birth on his Instagram account on Monday afternoon. But it didn’t bring any positive karma.
Royals starter Dillon Gee was roughed up for five runs in 3 1/3 innings, allowing a mammoth three-run homer into the Water Spectacular from Oakland’s Kris Davis in the top of the third.
The Royals clawed back into the game in the bottom of the third, tying the game with three runs, including a two-out RBI single from designated hitter Kendrys Morales.
But the offense could not keep up with a bullpen that turned volatile in the early innings. When Gee struggled again in the fourth, Yost turned to Pounders, who allowed a double while not recording an out. Next came Alexander, who allowed one hit before Yost turned to Young.
Moments later, Young ended the inning with the A’s lead at 6-3, and perhaps Yost was done with the bullpen lottery, hoping to keep his big guns fresh. Whatever the case, Yost stuck with Young until the proceedings blew up in the sixth inning.
The blowout allowed rookie Hunter Dozier to make his major-league debut after a long wait.
He took over right field in the seventh and struck out against Zach Neal in his first at-bat in the ninth. As Dozier batted, the thin remains of a Monday night crowd began to shriek and stir. Moments later, the stadium was silent again.
“These games are easy to turn the page, a lot tougher is losing a one-run game,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.
“We just got beat. We didn’t play good, we didn’t pitch good and we got beat.”

RESULTS
LA Dodgers 8 NY Yankees 2
Washington 8 NY Mets 1
Philadelphia 6 Pittsburgh 2
Toronto 3 Tampa Bay 2
Detroit 4 Minnesota 2
Boston 12 Baltimore 2
Atlanta 12 Miami 7
Cincinnati 3 Milwaukee 0
Oakland 16 Kansas City 3
White Sox 11 Cleveland 4
Texas 4 Houston 3 (12 innings)
Chicago Cubs 4 St. Louis 1
Arizona 12 Colorado 9
Seattle 8 LA Angels 1
San Diego 4 San Francisco 0