The Athletics have taken advantage of the scuffling Kansas City Royals to find some needed road success.
On Sunday afternoon, the A’s will try to sweep a three-game set and send the Royals to a winless six-game homestand.
The Athletics entered the series mired in a 14-game road skid but won 6-4 on Friday, then rode six brilliant innings and nine strikeouts from starter Jacob Lopez to a 4-0 victory Saturday. That outcome clinched the first winning road series since May 2-4 for the A’s, who will attempt to sweep their second away set of 2025.
They’ve also registered 17 hits, including four home runs, in the last two games.
“As is baseball, it’s just like hitting, same thing with winning, it’s up and down,” Athletics third baseman Max Muncy, who has four home runs and 11 RBIs in nine games since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on June 4, told NBC Sports California.
“You’ve just got to keep pushing through. … Get it done every day.”
Kansas City, meanwhile, has averaged 3.03 runs amid a 10-21 rut that’s dropped it three games below .500. The Royals have batted .201 while being outscored 27-9 by the New York Yankees and A’s through five games of this homestand.
In addition, Kansas City has lost six consecutive series at home, where it has dropped six straight games and is 3-13 since starting 16-5 there.
“There’s frustration because they want to win, but it’s not a give-up attitude,” manager Matt Quatraro said.
That belief amid these struggles is echoed through the Royals’ clubhouse.
“Continue to work, continue to show up. We all believe good things are going to happen to this club,” pitcher Michael Wacha said. “We got the right guys in here, and we firmly believe and have that confidence that we can get a lot of wins with this club.”
Royals left-hander Noah Cameron (2-2, 2.17 ERA) got off to a stellar beginning on his highly anticipated major league career, allowing three earned runs while completing at least six innings through his first five starts. Then he faced the Yankees on Tuesday, and yielded a two-run homer to Aaron Judge, a three-run shot to Austin Wells, and one other run over 5 2/3 innings of a 10-2 defeat.
Though the A’s aren’t nearly as potent as New York, they have 13 home runs and 17 doubles during their current 5-4 stretch. Meanwhile, budding star shortstop Jacob Wilson has four hits in this series.
Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs (5-5, 4.64 ERA) is slated on Sunday to make his first start since May 30, when he allowed six runs, six hits and six walks in two innings of an 11-7 loss at Toronto. Springs’ two outings since then have come after the A’s used an opener, and he allowed four runs — three earned — and five hits in each effort while completing 6 2/3 innings versus Minnesota on June 4 and six at the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.
Springs’ only start against the Royals came last summer, when he yielded eight hits but two runs, one earned, over 4 1/3 innings.
Kansas City star Bobby Witt Jr. is 1-1 against Springs. However, Witt is 0-for-15 in the last four contests overall.
–Field Level Media
