Brett Lawrie was sitting at his locker, some three-plus hours before the start of a three-game series between his Oakland A’s and the Kansas City Royals, two months and a week after these two teams last saw each other.
Advertisement
After averaging nearly six runs per game during a five-game winning streak, the A’s offense has slammed into a brick wall in the form of the Kansas City pitching staff.
There’s no break, and Vogt’s left arm appeared to have been iced longer than his right after the game.
Ben Zobrist drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly and Josh Reddick made it 2-0 when his popup to shallow left fell between shortstop Alcides Escobar and left fielder Alex Gordon for his 500th career hit. Gordon went 3-for-3 and walked once.
Young (7-3) allowed 4 hits and 2 runs, walked 1 and struck out 4. Volquez also reached 1,000 strikeouts for his career when he fanned Lawrie in the sixth. Volquez, who spent the previous seven seasons in the National League, faced the A’s for the first time since September 7, 2007, when he pitched six shutout innings for the Texas Rangers in a 5-3 victory.
The Royals scored a tying run on the balk, then went ahead for good when Kendrys Morales hit a two-run single in the sixth off Kazmir (4-5) that erased a 2-1 deficit. Greg Holland recorded the final two outs for his 15th save of the season.
“You have to ask them”, Melvin said curtly following the A’s 5-2 loss to the Royals that ended Oakland’s five-game winning streak. On the play, Cain raced home on Ike Davis’ throwing error.
Kansas City is best known as a running team, but it was the power they showed against Jesse Hahn that carried the Royals to an easy win.
Oakland answered with a run in the bottom of the third.
Fuld doubled leading off the first, alertly stole third against the Royals shifted defense and scored when Young’s throw to third sailed wildly into foul territory. That is not something that the A’s, whose five-game win streak was broken Friday night, need right now. “For me, it’s a phone call a small later on”, Melvin said. “He’s a small banged up”. Royals CF Lorenzo Cain returned to the starting lineup after missing the series finale against Seattle on Wednesday with a mild hamstring injury. And really, what better way to enflame the weird rivalry that has developed between the A’s and the Royals than to make them crosstown rivals for the day? “Nobody on my team has even mentioned it or thought about it, and I doubt very seriously anybody over there has”, Yost said before the game. “It was more precautionary than anything. We’ll give him one more day and I’m confident he’ll be able to play tomorrow”.
Perez took much less time to reach his big number, getting there in his fifth season with a homer in the eighth inning off Edward Mujica that provided insurance for the Royals.
The eight and nine hitters did Oakland’s only real damage, while the A’s could only muster three hits against three pitchers.
Advertisement
– The A’s Turn Back the Clock game Saturday included a visit from longtime Charlie Finley-era broadcaster Monte Moore, first pitches thrown by John “Blue Moon” Odom and Bert Campaneris and Charlie O., who was looking pretty sprightly for a 50-year-old mule.
