Luis Severino gave the Athletics length, strikeouts and the kind of start that lets a lineup breathe.
Then Lawrence Butler supplied the swing that changed the night.
Severino worked seven strong innings, Butler hit a three-run homer in the fourth, and the A’s beat the Royals 5-2 on Wednesday night at Sutter Health Park. The win moved the Athletics to 16-14 and kept them in first place in the AL West.
Severino settles in
Kansas City scored first, but Severino did not let it grow.
Bobby Witt Jr. singled in the first and later scored on Salvador Perez’s forceout, giving the Royals a 1-0 lead. After that, Severino took control. He picked off Lane Thomas in the second, stranded traffic in the fifth and worked through seven innings with only one run allowed.
Severino finished with four hits allowed, two walks and eight strikeouts on 103 pitches. It was his second win of the season and one of his cleanest outings so far.
Butler breaks it open
The A’s answered in the second when Jacob Wilson doubled and Jeff McNeil brought him home with an RBI double.
Then came the fourth.
Wilson singled, McNeil followed with another single, and Zack Gelof moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Butler took it from there, driving a three-run homer to right-center to give the Athletics a 4-1 lead.
That was the swing the A’s needed after Tuesday’s extra-inning loss. It also gave Severino room to attack.
One more run, then hold on
The Athletics added on in the sixth after Darell Hernaiz singled and Nick Kurtz drove him in with a double to center.
Kansas City made one push in the ninth. Witt singled, Perez added another hit and Michael Massey brought in a run with a sacrifice fly. However, Mark Leiter Jr. entered with two on and ended it by striking out Jac Caglianone for his third save.
Numbers that mattered
Butler finished with three RBIs on his third homer of the season. Wilson went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while McNeil went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk and a run.
Carlos Cortes stayed hot with two more hits and a walk. Shea Langeliers also singled and walked.
The A’s finished with 10 hits and went 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Kansas City went 0-for-2 in those spots and left five runners on base.
In the end, Severino gave the A’s the foundation. Butler gave them the separation.
Up next
The series wraps Thursday at Sutter Health Park. First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. PT.
Jeffrey Springs is scheduled to start for the Athletics against Kansas City right-hander Noah Cameron. Springs enters at 3-2 with a 3.79 ERA, while Cameron is 2-1 with a 5.13 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.
