The A’s have endured four straight losing seasons while moving east to Sacramento on their way to Las Vegas, but appear to dig themselves out of their hole with a young roster. They had a winning record (35-29) after the All-Star break last year and are in first place early this season.
Kansas City Royals (11-17) vs. Athletics (15-13) at Sutter Health Park, Sacramento, CA
Royals: 4.18 runs scored/game (21st in MLB), 4.86 runs allowed/game (21st)
Athletics: 4.25 runs scored/game (18th), 4.54 runs allowed/game (18th)
The A’s offensive numbers are very similar to the Royals in runs per game, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs and steals. They have a .360 on-base percentage at home and .291 on the road.
Twenty-nine-year-old rookie Carlos Cortes has been on fire, hitting .538 (14-for-26) with three home runs in his last seven games, earning American League Player of the Week honors. Nick Kurtz was fifth in the American League with 36 home runs last year, despite not making his MLB debut until April 23. Former Royals slugger Brent Rooker has struggled, but he just came off the disabled list after missing time with an oblique injury. Infielder Jacob Wilson has the second-lowest walk rate in baseball, with just one walk in 27 games. Max Muncy (not THIS Max Muncy) has a 35.6 percent strikeout rate, sixth highest in baseball. Backup catcher Austin Wynns hit two of his six home runs last year against the Royals.
Aaron Civale has allowed 17 hits and 8 runs in 10 innings over his last two starts. Salvador Pérez has a batting average of .333 (7 for 21) with three home runs against him. He throws his cutter a third of the time, but opponents are hitting .296 off him this year.
Luis Severino won his first game of the year in his last start, allowing one run in 6.2 innings against the Rangers. He is 5-1 with a 3.67 ERA in seven career starts against the Royals, but has a 6.15 ERA in 17 starts at Sutter Health Park.
Jeffrey Springs has had a reverse split this year, with righties hitting .185/.269/.326 against him this year. He has a 48 percent whiff rate on his changeup and has been good at suppressing hard contact.
The A’s have a 4.05 ERA in their bullpen, using a collection of unproven pitchers and castoffs from other organizations. Joel Kuhnel is a 31-year-old journeyman with just 100 innings in his MLB career and has been named the closer from the start, although 26-year-old Jack Perkins has also had some save opportunities. Former Royals pitcher Scott Barlow joined the A’s after posting a 4.21 ERA in 75 games with the Reds last year.
After a disappointing home series loss to the White Sox, the A’s went on the road and won series in Seattle and Texas. They have some talent, but a lot of inconsistent pitching. Sutter Health Park has been a very home run-friendly stadium, so this is an opportunity for the Royals’ offense to keep moving forward.
