Another one. The Athletics let an easy win slip right through their fingers Tuesday night in Kansas City, giving up three runs in the bottom of the ninth to fall to the Royals 4-3. This one absolutely stung, a brutal gut-punch after a game they had every right to win.
Early Jabs and a Pitching Masterclass
The A’s got right to work against Kansas City’s reliever-turned-starter, Daniel Lynch IV. Zack Gelof drew a one-out walk in the first, Jeff McNeil singled, and Jonah Heim walked to load the bases. Rookie infielder Tommy White delivered, too, with a base knock to left to drive in one. But McNeil got a little too aggressive trying to score behind Gelof and was gunned down at the plate. Ouch. That took a lot of air out of the rally, and the A’s only came away with one. Felt like they left some meat on the bone there.
That lone run was all the A’s pitching needed early on. Jack Perkins was slated to start, but a late change saw lefty Brady Basso get the ball for the first couple frames. He was nails, a clean first, and just one harmless single in the second. Manager Mark Kotsay sent Basso back out for the third, where he got another out before Perkins took over. And Perkins? He was just as effective, pitching through the sixth. He only allowed two base runners all night and looked sharper as the game went on, ending his performance on a massive high. He struck out the side in the sixth, including Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. That’s a huge moment! Perkins finished with 3 2/3 innings, 1 hit, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts on 53 pitches. That opener strategy totally worked to perfection, and it’s got to be the plan next time his turn comes up.
Insurance Runs… Then the Bullpen Nightmare
Things went quiet for the offense after that quick first-inning run, with just one walk between the second and fifth. But in the top of the sixth, the A’s finally got those much-needed insurance runs. Henry Bolte smacked a leadoff single, Gelof drew his second walk of the night, and then McNeil came through again with an RBI hit to make it 2-0. They tacked on another run in the frame thanks to a bases-loaded walk to Max Muncy, pushing the lead to 3-0. With how the pitching was rolling, it felt like the A’s could finally coast to a win.
Then the bullpen entered the chat. Drew Rom replaced Perkins for the seventh. The lefty only faced three batters, and two of them collected doubles, immediately making it 3-1. No cruising tonight, after all. Kotsay didn’t hesitate, pulling Rom for Luis Medina, who put out the fire by getting two groundball outs to escape the jam. Still a two-run lead, with six outs to go. We all thought they had it.
Jack Perkins is lined up to pitch next in Houston against the Astros. Fingers crossed he can take the momentum from tonight’s quality outing and build on it over the final few weeks of the season, because they’re going to need it after a collapse like that.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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