The Athletics had the pitching early and the traffic all night. They just never found the swing to separate.
Aaron Civale gave the A’s five scoreless innings Tuesday, but Kansas City tied the game in the sixth and broke it open in the 10th for a 4-1 win at Sutter Health Park. Bobby Witt Jr. delivered the deciding blow, a three-run homer off Justin Sterner that turned a tight game into a frustrating loss.
Civale did his part
Civale worked around traffic and kept the Royals quiet.
The right-hander allowed five hits over five scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out three, leaving with a 1-0 lead after the A’s scratched across a run in the second.
Zack Gelof started that inning with a single and moved into scoring position. Then Jacob Wilson lined an RBI single to center, giving the Athletics the first run of the night.
However, that was all they could get against Kris Bubic. The Royals left-hander allowed four hits and four walks over five innings, but he struck out six and stranded enough traffic to keep Kansas City close.
Kansas City pulls even
The Royals tied it right after Civale left.
Hogan Harris took over in the sixth, and Salvador Perez drove a solo homer to center to make it 1-1. Harris then walked two batters before Scott Barlow entered and ended the inning when Lane Thomas was caught stealing third.
After that, the game became a bullpen grind. Barlow, Mark Leiter Jr. and Jack Perkins kept Kansas City off the board through the ninth, but the A’s kept missing chances of their own.
Their best one came in the eighth. Colby Thomas singled, Carlos Cortes followed with another single, and Darell Hernaiz walked to load the bases. But Zack Gelof struck out, and Jeff McNeil flied out to end the inning.
The 10th decided it
Kansas City finally broke through in extras.
Nick Loftin started the 10th at second, and Kyle Isbel reached on a bunt single. Maikel Garcia popped up a bunt for the first out, but Witt changed the game one batter later.
He drove a three-run homer to right-center off Sterner, giving Kansas City a 4-1 lead.
The Athletics still had a chance in the bottom half. Carlos Cortes walked, Gelof singled and the tying run came to the plate. But Hernaiz lined out to second, and the Royals finished it.
Numbers that mattered
The Athletics finished with eight hits and six walks, but they went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on base.
Shea Langeliers went 3-for-5 with a double. Gelof had two hits and scored the A’s only run. Wilson drove in the lone run, while Cortes reached three times after entering in the sixth.
In the end, that was the difference. The A’s had more chances than Kansas City. The Royals had the swing that mattered.
Up next
The series continues Wednesday at Sutter Health Park. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. PT.
Luis Severino is scheduled to start for the Athletics against Kansas City right-hander Michael Wacha. Severino enters at 1-2 with a 5.17 ERA, while Wacha is 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
