Athletics beat Royals 7-5 in Oakland

Nine-game Losing Streak Comes to an End

On this evening when the Bay Area and all of baseball mourns the loss of Willie Mays, the greatest all-around player in baseball history in the hearts and minds of experts and everyday fans alike, the game he loved and represented with style and grace is being played in Oakland, and around the USA in stadiums, parks, and sandlots. Mays was ninety-three, and just two days shy of being honored at Rickwood Field in Alabama, where his incredible career began. The A’s and Royals dedicated a moment of silence to the legend’s memory.

The Oakland Athletics returned home for the start of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at the Oakland Coliseum. Oakland sent 27-year-old lefty Hogan Harris to the mound tonight against 26-year-old righty Alec Marsh for the Royals.

Max Schuemann led off the bottom of the first with a walk and then came around to score on JJ Bleday’s RBI double. A Miguel Andujar line out to right field moved Bleday to third and Brent Rooker’s sac fly scored Bleday to make it 2-0 in favor of the A’s.

The lead did not last long as a Schuemann error allowed Freddie Fermin to reach base. Nick Loftin then homered on the very next pitch to tie the score at 2. That was his first career knock.

The resilient A’s bounced back in the bottom of the third. Zack Gelof singled to get the inning started. He stole second and moved to third on a Schuemann single. JJ Bleday doubled to drive in Gelof, his second RBI double of the evening. Andujar singled to score Schuemann and move Bleday to third. Rooker and Soderstrom struck out to end the inning, but not before the A’s regained the lead 4-2.

Harris pitched himself into and out of trouble in the top of the fourth. Tyler Nevin walked in his second at-bat back in the majors. Lawrence Butler doubled to the left field gap, moving Nevin to third. Gelof made Marsh pay with a rocket three-run-homer to left field. That shot gave the A’s a 7-2 lead and sent Marsh to the showers.

Former A’s hurler Sam Long replaced Marsh. Miguel Andujar singled, and Brent Rooker greeted his former teammate with a double off the left field wall.

Kyle Isbel tripled to right field and scored on a ground out to Gelof. That tightened the score to 7-3.

Vinnie Nittoli relieved Harris in the sixth. Harris left as the winning pitcher of record, giving up four hits, one earned run, two walks and three strike outs.

JJ Bleday doubled for the third time tonight in the bottom of the sixth with one down. He was stranded there. Austin Adams came on to pitch the seventh for the A’s. He shut the Royals down. Lucas Erceg entered the game in the eighth. He gave up singles to Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvy Perez. He walked pinch-hitter MJ Melendez to load the bases with no outs. Freddy Fermin and Nick Loftin both grounded out, but each ground out scored a run. Kotsay lifted Erceg for Scott Alexander with two outs in the eighth. Alexander got the final out on a deep fly to Bleday. Heading into the bottom of the eighth, the A’s led 7-5.

Mason Miller entered the game to slam the door in the ninth. Miller was dominant, hitting 102+ mph on multiple pitches and making quick work of the Royals for his thirteenth save of the season.