The Athletics carried a two-run lead into the ninth inning Tuesday night. Once again, the bullpen could not make it hold up.
Kansas City scored three times in the ninth, with Bobby Witt Jr. delivering the walk-off single in a 4-3 Royals win at Kauffman Stadium. The loss dropped the A’s to 49-77, the worst record in Major League Baseball.
It was also the Athletics’ 25th blown save of the season, tied for third-most in the majors. For a team that has repeatedly struggled to protect late leads, Tuesday became another costly example.
Hogan Harris was charged with his sixth blown save after allowing three runs, two earned, in the ninth. The collapse wasted 7 2/3 innings of one-run pitching from the rest of the staff.
Pitching gives the A’s a chance
Brady Basso opened the game and worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits with one strikeout.
Then Jack Perkins provided exactly what the Athletics needed. Perkins inherited a runner in the third, but Jonah Heim threw out Carter Jensen attempting to steal second.
Perkins went on to allow only one hit over 3 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out four.
Meanwhile, the A’s built a lead. Tommy White drove home Zack Gelof with a first-inning single, then Jeff McNeil added an RBI single in the sixth.
Later in the inning, Max Muncy drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 3-0.
Kansas City finally broke through against Drew Rom in the seventh. Jac Caglianone doubled and scored on Vinnie Pasquantino’s RBI double, cutting the lead to 3-1.
The ninth unravels
Luis Medina worked through traffic in the eighth despite three walks. Harris then entered with the bases loaded and escaped by getting Maikel Garcia to line out.
However, the ninth turned quickly.
After Pasquantino flied out, Salvador Perez reached on catcher interference by Heim. Michael Massey followed with a single, and Jensen walked to load the bases.
Then pinch-hitter Tyler Tolbert singled to left, scoring two and tying the game at 3.
Elvis Alvarado replaced Harris and retired Isaac Collins for the second out. But Witt followed with a single to left, scoring Jensen with the winning run.
Harris allowed three hits and a walk while recording two outs. He took the loss and the blown save, falling to 3-2.
Missed chances add up
The Athletics had opportunities to create more separation but finished with only five hits.
McNeil went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while White added an RBI single. Gelof walked twice and scored twice.
Still, the A’s went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base.
They also had a chance to add insurance in the ninth. Lawrence Butler singled before Carlos Cortes replaced Muncy and reached on a forceout.
A wild pitch moved Cortes to second, but Donovan Walton struck out and Darell Hernaiz grounded out.
The two-run cushion remained unchanged.
A familiar problem
The loss was the Athletics’ second straight after taking two of three from Texas over the weekend.
More troubling is the larger pattern.
The A’s now sit alone at the bottom of the AL West and own the worst record in baseball. Their 25 blown saves are also tied for third-most in the majors.
Tuesday brought both problems together in one inning.
The pitching staff held Kansas City to one run through eight. Then three runs in the ninth erased the lead and another winnable game slipped away.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, 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.
