The A’s went down 9-7 last night to the Kansas City Royals in the penultimate game of their series, but that final score barely scratches the surface of what happened. For the second straight night, this team held a multi-run lead heading into the final two innings, only to watch its arguably worst-ever bullpen completely implode. What felt like a “small earthquake” yesterday turned into a “volcanic eruption of awfulness” tonight. It’s truly unbelievable.
The Bats Came Alive, For Nothing
The A’s offense deserves so much better after how they attacked Royals starter Seth Lugo. They wasted no time putting Wednesday’s heartbreak behind them, jumping Lugo in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Henry Bolte singled and scored from first on Jeff McNeil’s RBI double. McNeil then crossed the plate on Zack Gelof’s RBI single, giving the Athletics a quick 2-0 lead. Later, in the fifth, they went back to work. Donovan Walton and Max Muncy hit back-to-back one-out singles, setting up Bolte to make it three straight singles against Lugo, scoring Walton to make it 3-1. McNeil then hit a fourth consecutive single, scoring Muncy for a 4-1 lead, and Gelof’s RBI force out brought Bolte home for the team’s third run of the inning. This offense is fighting, but the bullpen is just torching their efforts. We did see Lawrence Butler’s baserunning woes return in the fourth when Lugo picked him off first after a leadoff single, but even that could not derail the scoring.
Springs Fought Hard, Then The Volcano Blew
A’s left-hander Jeffrey Springs was making his first start since coming off the injured list, and he worked his tail off. He tossed a scoreless first inning, even though he ran into trouble with two consecutive walks in the second. He got out of that jam, and again in the third after issuing his third walk and hitting a batter, getting Maikel Garcia to ground into an inning-ending double play. The Royals did cut the lead in half in the fourth with Salvador Perez’s RBI double, bringing home Vinnie Pasquantino who had singled. Springs even stranded the tying run at third. Pasquantino then hit his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot in the sixth, bringing the score to 4-2. Springs’ night ended after allowing Carter Jensen’s two-out single. He went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking three and striking out one. He did a good job pitching to contact, inducing six groundouts and three flyouts. Then, Scott Blewett replaced Springs and got the final out of the sixth, striking out Kyle Isbel with the tying run at the plate. Elvis Alvarado, who gave up yesterday’s game-winning hit, actually rebounded with a scoreless seventh inning on just 10 pitches! But he didn’t even return for the eighth, and that’s when it all went sideways. Another lead, gone.
It’s the penultimate game of the series, so they’ve got one more shot at the Royals to try and salvage something. It feels like every time this team gets a lead, the bullpen is just waiting to give it away. How much more can these fans take?
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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