MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

The ghost of Athletics’ legendary skipper Connie Mack possessed current manager Mark Kotsay this weekend.

I am sure of it!

Lineups made sense. High on-base-percentage hitters were in the lineup before power hitters.

Every game versus Kansas City was “started” by a “starting pitcher.”

Middle relievers worked middle innings.

Setup men worked the eighth inning, and the closer closed.
The result was a series sweep of the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

The 6-4 win in the series opener ended a 14-game road-losing streak for the A’s. 

They followed that up with the first shutout by the Athletics since May 1, a 4-0 combined pitching gem by starter Jacob Lopez and relievers Michel Kelly & Hogan Harris.

In the 3-2 victory in the finale, 1B Nick Kurtz provided the 9th inning theatrics with a 411-foot bomb that was hit so high that Kurtz was three strides past first base before it landed.

Athletics Batting:
While no one had a monster series, this sweep was a team effort.
Four players (Lawrence Butler, Jacob Wilson, Luis Urias, Denzel Clarke) had at least one hit in every game.

Wilson had five hits in the series, and his .367 batting average is inching closer to NYY Aaron Judge (.378) for the best in MLB.

Urias batted .363 versus the Royals, added his seventh home run of the year, and has hits in seven of his last eight games.

C Austin Wynns, acquired from the Cincinnati Reds to cover duties while Shea Langeliers is on the 10-day IL, hit a home run in both games he played in and has a .346 average on the year. His power display may pull the backup catcher roll away from Willie MacIver, who is mired in a 1-for-19 slump.

Athletics Pitching:
Each starter went at least six innings, and Kotsay only used five relievers the entire series and gave his staff some much-needed rest.

Luis Severino (2-6) pitched 7 2/3 strong innings of one-run ball to notch his second victory and continued his dominance on the road.

With the win, Severino improved to 2-0 and is among MLB leaders with an amazing .93 era away from home. He remains winless at Sutter Health Park (0-6, 7.10 era).

LHP Jeffrey Springs scattered seven hits for only two runs over six innings and has become a solid starter that eats up innings.
Of his 15 starts, Springs has completed at least six innings in 10 of them.

A nice trend for the pitching staff is Athletics pitching has given up two or fewer extra-base hits (xbh) in six of the last seven games.

Upcoming Series:
Winners of their last five games, the first-place Houston Astros (41-30) travel to Sutter Health Park to take on the Athletics (29-44) for a four-game series.

The statistical comparisons for the series are typical for a set against the A’s.

The Athletics and Astros have nearly the same team batting average (.253 to .254), but the A’s dominate nearly every other offensive category (hits, runs, home runs, etc).

Having the worst team era in MLB, the A’s are giving up over two full runs more per game than the Astros.

Rested arms and better personnel decisions are gonna help our pitching staff.

Gametime:
Astros RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (1-2, 4.91) versus Athletics RHP Mitch Spence (2-1, 3.67)
June 16, 2025, 705pm
Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento