MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

At 49-79, the Athletics are officially the worst team in baseball, and after this series I am convinced that this is one of the worst A’s teams this century. The team mailed in, at-bat after at-bat, to the tune of EIGHTEEN 1-2-3 innings at the plate, of which 14 of the Athletics were retired in less than 12-pitches.

On the mound, the A’s used relievers Mason Barnett and Brady Basso as starters which pulled a good arm in Basso from the bullpen, weakening it, and Barnett had no business being a starter in the first place.

Throw in the usual questionable decisions on bullpen usage by Manager Mark Kotsay, and we get a four-game sweep of the Athletics.

(Royals: 9-5)
Jeff McNeil hit the first pitch of the series, for a home run and a 1-0 lead, but the Royals crushed A’s starter Mason Barnett for six earned runs, in just 2 2/3 innings. The Royals Bobby Witt Jr. doubled, and homered with three RBIs to lead the heart of the Royals order, who went 6-for-14 with five runs and six runs-batted-in.

Barnett (L 1-4, 7.08) had given up ten earned runs in his previous 8 1/3 (2 starts), and he was demoted to AAA Las Vegas after the game.

(Royals: 4-3)
Reliever Brady Basso and usual starter Jack Perkins combined for six innings of scoreless baseball, but in typical A’s fashion, the bullpen melted down.

The A’s built a 3-1 lead going into the ninth inning, beginning with Tommy White’s RBI-single in the first inning, and getting two additional runs in the sixth inning on an RBI single by McNeil, and a Max Muncy bases loaded walk.

A’s reliever Hogan Harris (L 3-2, 3.79) gave up a pair of singles and a walk, for his sixth blown save of the year and the loss.

(Royals: 9-7)
The Athletics took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, but a combination of horrible relief pitching and bad decisions by Kotsay, manifested into another runaway inning to the tune of seven runs.
Starter Jeffrey Springs returned from IL and pitched a decent 5 2/3 innings, giving up just two earned runs before turning it over to the pen.
McNeil continued to shred with an RBI-double in the first, which was followed by a Zack Gelof single and a 2-0 lead.

A’s scored three runs in the fifth, on RBI-singles by Henry Bolte, another from McNeil, and a Gelof RBI-groundout, to what was thought to be a comfortable lead.

Elvis Alvarado pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning for the Athletics, on just 10-pitches, but Kotsay didn’t take advantage of a hot arm and pulled him for Hayden Juenger.

Juenger gave up three runs, and Drew Rom gave up four more, to allow seven runs in the eighth, and a 9-5 lead.

Max Muncy hit a 2-run blast in the ninth inning but it wasn’t enough in the 9-7 loss. Muncy led five Athletics with two hits.

(Royals: 6-2)
Athletics starter Gage Jump was not himself on Thursday, giving up runs in all but one inning that he pitched. He gave up a solo-homer to Witt Jr. in the first inning, which preceded two runs in the third, and two more an inning later.

Jump (L 5-8, 4.83) has been known for getting hitters down 0-2 in the count, and managed just two in his entire start. Twelve of the twenty-three batters he faced reached base, and he was visibly struggling his entire start.

The Athletics bullpen pitched four innings of one-run baseball, and A’s fans got to see newly acquired Taylor Rashi, who was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. Rashi pitched two innings of one-run ball, before Scott Blewett finished the final two innings of scoreless relief.

The A’s managed just two fifth inning runs, one run on a Brian Serven RBI-single, and another on an RBI-groundout by Donovan Walton.

Next: @ Astros 8/21 510pm PST Daikin Park Houston, Tx