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By Tim Byrnes<\/p>\n
The Athletics won another series Thursday, defeating the Kansas City Royals 6-3 in the finale, but it wasn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n
The opener was a game of lost opportunities where the A\u2019s stranded 14 base runners, and it started in the first inning.<\/p>\n
The A\u2019s loaded the bases for the first of three times when C Shea Langeliers singled, and Nick Kurtz walked. It was Kurtz\u2019 17th consecutive game with a walk, an A\u2019s record. Recently promoted Colby Thomas also walked but Tyler Soderstrom struck out to end the threat.<\/p>\n
The A\u2019s scored in the 2nd inning when Zack Gelof led off with a single and later scored on Jacob Wilson\u2019s single, to go up 1-0.<\/p>\n
A\u2019s starter Aaron Civale went five innings, giving up a hit every inning, but allowed no runs. The Royals tied the score when Salvador Perez homered in the 6th inning off reliever Hogan Harris.<\/p>\n
Harris then walked consecutive batters and gave way to Scott Barlow, who promptly picked off LF Lane Thomas at second base, ending the inning.<\/p>\n
Barlow finished the seventh, Mark Leiter Jr had a quick, 9-pitch eighth, and Jack Perkins held serve in the ninth. With the automatic runner at second base, Kyle Isbell outran a soft bunt, and Sterner then served up a 3-run homer to Bobby Witt Jr for a 4-1 A\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n
Soderstrom was injured diving for a Maikel Garcia triple in the fifth, and didn\u2019t return for the rest of the series.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the Athletics and starter Luis Severino took care of business, winning 5-2. Severino (2-2. 4.46) went seven innings allowing just one run, and struck out eight. He limited his walks to two, and had (0-2) counts to nine Royals batters. In those at-bats, the Royals batted (1-for-9, 4k\u2019s), showing the importance of Severino getting ahead in the count.<\/p>\n
The Royals did score in the first, on back-to-back singles by Witt and Jensen, and Perez drove-in Witt with a ground out-RBI.<\/p>\n
In the bottom half, Wilson and McNeil had back-to-back doubles to tie the game at 1-1, and again went back-to-back with singles in the fourth inning. Lawrence Butler followed with a home run to extend the lead to 4-1.<\/p>\n
In the 6th, Darryl Hernaiz hit a one-out single, and Kurtz hit the next pitch for an RBI-double and a 5-1 lead.<\/p>\n
On the mound, reliever Joel Kuhnel walked the first batter in the eighth, but ended the inning with a double play. In the ninth, Kuhnel gave up singles to Witt and Perez, and they moved up 90-feet, to 2nd & 3rd, on a wild pitch. Witt scored on an RBI sac-fly by Kansas City 2B Michael Massey for the final score of 5-2.<\/p>\n
In the finale, KC sent seven batters to the plate in the first inning, starting with a Garcia double on the first pitch by A\u2019s starter Jeffrey Springs. With two outs, he hit Perez and walked Nick Loftin to load the bases. Starling Marte then had an RBI-single to start the scoring for the Royals.<\/p>\n
The Athletics responded, sending seven to the plate themselves, beginning with a single by Wilson and a Langeliers double. After a Thomas walk, Hernaiz hit a bases loaded single to tie the game at 1-1.
\nGarcia had a monster day, and homered with two outs in the second inning to put KC back up 2-1.<\/p>\n
The A\u2019s didn\u2019t let up in the second either, when after Butler drew a one-out walk, Wilson and Langeliers did an encore of the first inning. Wilson singled, and Langeliers doubled again to drive in Butler. Two pitches later, Kurtz doubled as well, driving in two more runs.<\/p>\n
Springs lasted just three innings before exiting with right-hip soreness, and Luis Medina (1-1, 2.13) went 2 2\/3 to earn the victory. Langeliers doubled a third time in the seventh, Kurtz followed with a walk in his 19th-consecutive game, and Hernaiz hit his third single, and second RBI for a 6-2 lead.<\/p>\n
Reliever Brady Basso served up a solo-shot to Royals C Elias Diaz in the eighth for the final score of 6-3.<\/p>\n
Next: Cleveland @ A\u2019s 5\/1 6:40pm Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento<\/p>\n
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