KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Oakland Athletics rookie Jharel Cotton fooled the Kansas City Royals with a tantalizing changeup, but Khris Davis was not fooled by a fastball when he got ahead in the count.

Cotton rebounded from a rough initial start to pitch a gem as the Athletics beat Kansas City 2-0 on Monday in the Royals' home opener.

The A's won their seventh consecutive meeting with the Royals. Kansas City lost a home opener for the first time since 2012.

The Royals were shut out in their home opener for the first time since Bert Blyleven blanked them in 1971 for the Minnesota Twins.

Cotton (1-1) threw seven scoreless innings, walked three and struck out six, including the side in the fourth. He threw 61 strikes in 98 pitches and yielded just two hits. Cotton allowed only two runners to reach second base.

"We've seen him pitch a really good game, but with the pressure of that game -- opening day, full house -- and to be on it right away too," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "Sometime nerves can get to you a little bit, and then you kind of settle into it. He was on it right away. I don't know that you can pitch much better than that."

In his first start of the season last week, Cotton was shelled, permitting five runs, eight hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels for his first major league loss.

"When he gets on a roll early, he's tough to deal with," Melvin said. "If you get to him early, nick him up a bit and get him out of his rhythm, then it's a little bit more of a challenge for him. To go seven innings and throw 100 pitches, to get through that lineup, it's probably the best we've seen him pitch."

Cotton got all the run support he needed in the fourth inning when Davis homered to right-center field after Ryon Healy singled to right.

"I got the green light and I put a good swing on it," Davis said.

He said he got what he was looking for with the count 3-0.

"A center-cut, middle-in fastball," Davis said. "I told myself not to do too much with it and put a good swing on it. I was hoping the wind would carry it a little bit. I got enough."

Davis, the only A's player to reach base safely in each of the first eight games, has four home runs after hitting none in spring training. He belted 42 last year.

Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy (0-2) was removed after six innings and 99 pitches. He allowed two runs and six hits while striking out four and walking two.

"I had to be pretty much perfect to win this ballgame," Kennedy said. "Cotton threw great and kept us off balance and their bullpen did a great job after that."

His only mistake was the fat fastball to Davis, who took advantage of the wind blowing out to right to get it over the fence.

"I knew he was going to swing," Kennedy said. "He's aggressive at 3-0. We had that written down. I was happy. I thought he missed it a little bit, but soon as I looked up and saw how hard the wind was blowing. It was one of those mistakes."

Santiago Casilla replaced Cotton and struck out all three batters he faced on 16 pitches in the eighth. Left-hander Sean Doolittle worked the ninth for his first save.

The Royals made a little noise in the ninth with Lorenzo Cain drawing a one-out walk and advancing to third on Salvador Perez's ground-ball single to left. The game ended with Brandon Moss striking out.

"I got three heaters blown by me," Moss said. "I've played with him. I know he's going to throw fastballs. It's his best pitch and he located them. There was no reason to be up there looking for a breaking ball. He's only going to throw that if it's an extended bat.

"I was just hoping to be ready for a heater and hoped he missed it middle or middle in. He challenged me with his best pitch and he won."

Cain singled in the first and drew two walks. After Cain's single, the Royals did not get another hit until Raul Mondesi's sixth-inning leadoff single.

A's third baseman Trevor Plouffe was charged with an error in the sixth. Oakland has committed an error in six straight games and leads the American League with nine fielding miscues.

NOTES: The Royals honored Yordano "Ace" Ventura in moving pregame ceremonies. Ventura, 25, died in a vehicle crash on Jan. 22 in the Dominican Republic after compiling 38 victories as a Royal and making nine postseason starts. A saxophonist played "Amazing Grace" during a video board display of Ventura on and off the field. Ventura's mother, Marisol Hernandez, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Victor Baez, the Royals' Dominican Academy coordinator and a father figure to Ventura, was in the Buck O'Neil seat. ... A's RHP Sonny Gray, who is on the disabled list with a shoulder strain, threw a bullpen session and will face hitters Thursday before the game against the Royals. ... After an off day, A's RHP Andrew Triggs and Royals RHP Jason Hammel are the Wednesday starters.