Jurickson Profar homered and finished with three hits and three RBIs, and Seth Brown added four hits as the Oakland A's defeated the host Kansas City Royals 9-8 Thursday afternoon to take three out of four in the series.

Yusmeiro Petit (4-3) threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief to earn the win. Liam Hendriks recorded the final five outs -- all strikeouts -- to pick up his 17th save despite allowing a ninth-inning run.

Neither starter lasted five innings. Kansas City's Glenn Sparkman (3-10) gave up seven runs in 4 1/3 innings. Oakland's Chris Bassitt, staked to a five-run lead in the fifth, gave up three runs in the inning and was yanked with two outs. He allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits.

Marcus Semien and Matt Olson both singled in the first inning before Sparkman hit Mark Canha with a pitch to load the bases with one out. After Brown flied out, Sparkman plunked Profar to force home the opening run.

The Royals took the lead in their half of the first. Whit Merrifield (3-for-5) extended his hitting streak to 11 games before Jorge Soler hit his 37th home run off the top of the wall in left. Soler is now one home run short of Mike Moustakas' club record, set in 2017.

Profar blasted a two-run home run into the fountains in right-center in the fourth, scoring Brown, who had doubled. Chad Pinder then doubled off the wall in right and scored on Semien's two-out RBI single.

In the fifth, Canha doubled with one out, and Brown singled him home. Profar followed with a jam-shot single. Pinder walked, loading the bases and ending Sparkman's day. Jacob Barnes entered and allowed runs on a walk by Corban Joseph and a sacrifice fly by Josh Phegley.

Soler drove in his 96th run of the season on a fielder's choice in the fifth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Cheslor Cuthbert just missed a game-tying grand slam, settling for a two-run double that chased Bassitt.

The A's added an unearned run in the sixth.

The Royals got two runs in the eighth, and had the tying and go-ahead runs on base, but Hendriks struck out Merrifield and Soler.

Each team scored a run in the ninth inning, with Kansas City leaving the tying run on base.

--Field Level Media