It’s been a month since the Athletics last won a road game.
Perhaps a stop in Kansas City to face the struggling Royals, coupled with Luis Severino’s success on the road, will be what ends the Athletics’ 14-game away losing streak on Friday night.
Just two years ago, the Athletics lost 15 consecutive road games, and now the club is on the verge of matching that unwanted feat. The A’s have been outscored a whopping 111-40 during their current road skid that dates to an 11-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 13.
On Wednesday, the A’s led the host Los Angeles Angels 3-0 after 5 1/2 innings, then yielded six runs in the bottom of the sixth and lost 6-5.
“We just have to play better,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “We’ve got to execute better on the mound and add to our (leads).”
Though the A’s were swept in a three-game set at Kansas City last season, these Royals have averaged 3.0 runs amid a 10-19 rut that has dropped them below .500 for the first time since April 27.
Kansas City totaled five runs while being swept this week in a three-game home set against the New York Yankees. The Royals went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position during a 1-0 loss on Thursday, leaving them 0-for-17 in those situation during the series.
“It’s definitely frustrating because we know where we can be and (we’ll) keep working to get to that position,” said Royals star Bobby Witt Jr., who is batting .225 in his past 28 games.
Things might not get easier against Severino (1-6, 4.77 ERA), who despite the Athletics’ road issues is 1-0 with an 0.87 ERA in five starts away from their West Sacramento, Calif., home this season. However, Severino has allowed 14 runs (13 earned) and 17 hits over 11 1/3 innings during two June starts — both at home.
The right-hander yielded six of those runs (five earned) and two homers over 5 2/3 innings in a 7-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
Severino owns a 4.24 ERA in six starts against Royals, but he is 4-1 in those outings. Witt is 2-for-6 vs. Severino, while teammate Salvador Perez is 4-for-15 with two homers against the 31-year-old veteran.
Kansas City’s Vinnie Pasquantino is hitless in two at-bats vs. Severino, but he is batting .413 during a career-high 12-game hitting streak. He also has reached base in 27 consecutive contests.
After closing May with seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball against the Detroit Tigers, scheduled Kansas City starter Michael Wacha (3-5, 3.01 ERA) allowed three runs on two homers, and four other hits, while walking two in six innings of a 4-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
The veteran right-hander has faced the Athletics just once, when he threw five innings of one-run ball in 2021.
The Athletics’ Brent Rooker, who is 1-for-3 with a double against Wacha, and 8-for-20 with a homer and seven RBIs in his past five games versus Kansas City.
Rooker was 2-for-16 in his previous four games before going 4-for-5 with two homers and three RBIs against the Angels on Wednesday. He has reached base safely in 18 of his past 20 contests and is batting .424 with three home runs and nine RBIs in his past eight road contests.
“Rook’s an All-Star,” Kotsay said. “He’s having a great season. … He’s someone who can both drive the baseball out of the yard and get his hits.”
–Field Level Media
