The Athletics returned home after a successful 4-2 road trip to start a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals. Taking the mound for the A’s tonight was 30-year-old righty Aaron Civale who matched up against 28-year-old lefty Kris Bubic for the Royals.
The A’s got on the board first in the second inning when Zack Gelof singled and Jacob Wilson drove him home with a base hit to center.
In the top of the fifth Tyler Soderstrom dove for a ball it into the corner and landed hard, wincing as he got up to retrieve the ball. He did not come back out for the sixth inning.
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Speaking of not coming out for the sixth, Aaron Civale’s night was done after five. He finished his day with 5.0 innings, zero earned runs, five hits, three strikeouts and one walk. He gave way to Hogan Harris who promptly gave up a solo homer to Salvador Perez to tie the game. Harris didn’t make it out of the sixth. After the Perez homer, Harris walked Lane Thomas and Isaac Collins. That sent him to the showers, replaced by Scott Barlow, who threw two pitches and then picked Thomas off trying to steal third to end the Royals half of the inning.
Mark Leiter Jr. replaced Barlow in the top of the eighth inning and thanks to a great grab by Jacob Wilson, he tossed a 1-2-3 inning. After hitting a monster foul ball, Rooker struck out to lead off the inning. Thomas singled and moved to third on Carlos Cortes base hit. Darell Hernaiz walked to load the bases, but Jeff McNeil lined out to end the inning. The score remained tied at 1-1 headed to the ninth inning.
Jack Perkins entered the game to shut down the Royals in the ninth. He slammed the door with a three-up, three-down inning giving the A’s a chance to win it in the bottom of the inning. They did not, and the teams moved into the tenth.
Justin Sterner entered the game to pitch the start of extras. With a ghost runner on second, Jason Isbel tried to move the runner over but instead beat out the throw to put runners on first and second. Then Bobby Witt Jr. hit a three-run homer to give the Royals a 4-1 lead and clear the bases. But the A’s were not done. Lucas Erceg, former A’s reliever, came in to pitch the tenth. Kurtz was the placed runner. Cortes walked and Gelof beat out swinging bunt to load the bases with two outs. That brought Darell Hernaiz up. Unfortunately, he lined out to the second baseman to end the rally and the game.
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