KC Royals - An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough - Day 1

[Biggp07]

We got a solid pitching performance from Brady Singer, throwing for 90 pitches across 7.0 innings. The bullpen came out strong as well, with J. Lyles mopping up and Brennan Bernardino closing, each tossing for an inning. It was a satisfying win to say the least, and nice to get a second night in a row in front of the home crowd.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
B. Singer W  (3-5) 7.0 5 3 3  0  3 0  90 4.68   
J. Lyles  H   (2)  1.0 2 0 0  0  0 0  13 3.58    
B. Bernardino SV(1)1.0 2 0 0  0  1 0  12 2.70

Batters Faced: B. Singer 27, J. Lyles 4, B. Bernardino 5
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: B. Singer 6-10, J. Lyles 1-1, B. Bernardino 1-1
Pitches - Strikes: B. Singer 90-60, J. Lyles 13-11, B. Bernardino 12-9
WP: B. Singer
Hit Batsmen: B. Singer 2

Game Summary – June 8th – Seattle Funk Reaches 6 Games



Brady Singer had a strong outing for the Kansas City Royals against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium. The right-hander was a big part of his team's 6-3 win. Seattle has now lost 6 in a row. An inflection point occurred with one out in the bottom of the fourth. That's when Royals’ second baseman Adam Frazier hit a fastball from Bryan Woo for a 2-run single. Just like that, Kansas City was up, 4-3. Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard commended his team for exhibiting "no shortage of effort."

We got a strong debut outing from LF Javier Vaz, grabbing 2 hits, 2 runs, and 1 stolen base in 4 ABs.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Brady Singer
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (74 degrees), wind blowing out to the right at 12 mph
Start Time: 3:10 PM CT
Time: 2:57
Attendance: 26410

[Biggp07]

Unfortunately, SS Bobby Witt Jr. lost his third place in the voting to SS Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles. However, SP Cole Ragans continues to receive third-place votes, currently standing at 624,201, and our recent trade acquisition RP Brennan Bernadino has received 527,490 votes to put him in 5th place as a reliever.

RF Juan Soto remains the top vote getter with 1,586,961 votes.
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We finally got our first series sweep! Feels nice to be in a winning streak for once. Unfortunately, Cole Ragans was taken out of the game early pending a diagnosis of his shoulder. I had a funny feeling that I might be pushing him a bit too hard over the 90-pitch limit, but he always insisted he was feeling fine. His fragility has always bothered me; now it’s staring us in the face right before our home series with the Yankees. Damnit! Bullpen came through for us, though keeping Seattle to only 3 runs on 3 hits, most of which came on Schieber’s closing. He’s testing me as a closer.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
C. Ragans          1.1 2 1 1  0  3 1  21 2.79    
J. Lyles           3.0 1 0 0  0  1 0  39 3.32    
J. Taylor W  (1-0) 1.2 0 0 0  0  1 0  17 4.05    
C. Stratton H (3)  2.0 0 0 0  0  2 0  19 3.25    
J. Schreiber       1.0 3 3 3  1  1 2  25 3.75

Batters Faced: C. Ragans 6, J. Lyles 10, J. Taylor 4, C. Stratton 6, J. Schreiber 7
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: C. Ragans 1-0, J. Lyles 1-7, J. Taylor 3-0, C. Stratton 1-3, J. Schreiber 2-0
Pitches - Strikes: C. Ragans 21-15, J. Lyles 39-22, J. Taylor 17-10, C. Stratton 19 12, J. Schreiber 25-13
Inherited Runners - Scored: J. Taylor 1-0

Game Summary – June 9th – Mariners Lose Again, 7-4, to Royals



Sam Haggerty had a hand in Kansas City defeating Seattle by the score of 7-4. Haggerty went 2 for 4 at the plate, scoring 1 time and driving in 2 runs. Josh Taylor picked up the win in relief, improving his record to 1-0. Luis Castillo, who is tied for 4th in the AL in innings pitched with 97.0, was tagged with the loss. The losses continue to mount for Seattle, which has now dropped 7 in a row. Kansas City grabbed the momentum in the bottom of the fifth, when Haggerty hit a 2-run double off Luis Castillo. His 5th double of the season put the Royals out in front, 3-1.

"Nice to tuck this win away," said Haggerty.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Sam Haggerty
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (83 degrees), wind blowing in from the left at 11 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Time: 3:04
Attendance: 31910
Special Notes: SP Cole Ragans was injured while pitching. CF Julio Rodriguez was injured while running the bases.

[Biggp07]

Today, we begin a 4-game series with the New York Yankees at home. With a record of 43 wins and 24 losses, the Yankees have a winning percentage of .642. They are in 2nd place in the East Division, 0.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 370 ranks 1st in the American League, and their .252 batting average ranks 5th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 272 runs (tied for 2nd) with their starters compiling an ERA of 3.51, which ranks 1st. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 4.16, ranking 12th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP S. Lugo (2-5, 4.79 ERA) vs RHP M. Stroman (7-2, 2.78 ERA)
RHP C. Hernandez (2-3, 5.54 ERA) vs RHP L. Gil (4-2, 4.28 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (2-6, 4.45 ERA) vs LHP C. Rodón (3-3, 4.76 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (3-5, 4.68 ERA) vs LHP N. Cortes (8-3, 2.99 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. RF Aaron Judge (Age: 32, Overall: 80, Potential: 80)
2. RF Juan Soto (25, 80, 80)
3. CL Clay Holmes (31, 60, 60)
4. SP Marcus Stroman (33, 60, 60)
5. 2B Gleyber Torres (27, 55, 55)

Game Summary – June 10th – Royals Yankees First Game Rainout

Rescheduled for June 11th

June 11th
We received the diagnosis on Cole Ragans this morning. He will be out for approximately three months due to shoulder inflammation. I hope Kyle Turner can get him healthy sooner, but I won’t hold my breath. So, he goes on the 60-day IL, and I’ll bring up Kris Bubic from Omaha to take his place. It’s certainly not ideal, but Bubic is a lefty, and I want to have at least one in the rotation. Lugo gets the first start tonight, then Bubic will follow as the second starter. This might be a good time to think about an opener-follower setup using Bernadino and Hernandez for the third game. It’s been a while since I’ve run a rotation like that, but I think I could make it work.

Game#1 Summary – June 11th – Royals Lose at Home, 4-3, to New York



The New York Yankees took Kansas City pitcher Seth Lugo's best shot and still were able to claim a win at Kauffman Stadium. The final score had New York getting past the Royals, 4-3. Lugo went 6 innings and allowed 1 run, striking out 4. Marcus Stroman got the win, improving to 8-2. He worked 7.2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits, while striking out 6 and walking 3. Clay Holmes notched his 25th save in 29 chances. New York used the timely hitting of Trent Grisham to seize the win. The center fielder stroked a 2-run single in the top of the seventh inning to put the Yankees on top, 3-1. It was his only hit in 5 at-bats, but it was a game-changer.

"I'm just trying to make good contact," said Grisham, "one at-bat at a time." The win elevated the Yankees to 44-24.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
S. Lugo           6.0  4 1 1  2  4 1  93 4.37    
C. Stratton L(4-5)1.0  2 2 0  0  1 0  22 3.16    
S. Long           1.2  2 1 1  0  0 0  29 0.67    
A. Claudio        0.1  0 0 0  0  0 0  5  3.38

Batters Faced: S. Lugo 24, C. Stratton 6, S. Long 7, A. Claudio 1
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: S. Lugo 3-10, C. Stratton 0-2, S. Long 1-4, A. Claudio 1 0
Pitches - Strikes: S. Lugo 93-63, C. Stratton 22-16, S. Long 29-18, A. Claudio 5-2
WP: C. Stratton
Hit Batsmen: S. Lugo
Balk: C. Stratton



We nearly notched a win towards the end of this one, but it was a good battle with a good team. Looking forward to this next one.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Seth Lugo
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (76 degrees), wind blowing in from the center at 10 mph
Start Time: 3:05 PM CT
Time: 3:12
Attendance: 23296

Game#2 Summary – June 11th – Yankees Edge Royals, 7-6



New York second baseman Gleyber Torres contributed significantly to his team's 7-6 win over the Kansas City Royals. Torres, who is tied for 6th in the AL in runs scored with 45, went 3 for 3 with 1 run scored to lead the offensive attack for the Yankees. New York pitcher Victor Gonzalez got the win. He's now 7-1. Will Smith was tagged with the loss. New York raised its record to 45- 24 with the win. Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for J.T. Realmuto? The New York catcher had a run-scoring single in the top of the eighth inning to put the Yankees on top, 6-5. For the game, Realmuto had 1 double and 2 singles in 4 at-bats.

"We got the victory," said Realmuto. "That's all that matters at the end of the day."

Another close game with this team. That tells me something; I just wish I knew exactly what it is. We led a couple of times but couldn’t hang on to it, and we ran through our bullpen too deep for a 4-game series. We might have to call up a couple of fresh relievers just to get through the series at least slightly rested. Doesn’t help that I wanted to keep Bernadino well rested for his opener tomorrow night. We’ll see how the guys are tomorrow.



GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Gleyber Torres
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (71 degrees), wind blowing out to left at 12 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:41
Attendance: 24016

[Biggp07]

Game Summary – June 12th – Yankees Deal Royals 9-7 Loss



The New York Yankees topped the Kansas City Royals by a score of 9-7. Leading the way was third baseman DJ LeMahieu. LeMahieu was 2 for 4 with 2 singles and a walk, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once for the Yankees. The Yankees bumped their record to 46-24 with this latest triumph. The game was at a stalemate until second baseman Gleyber Torres came to bat in the top of the tenth. Facing Kansas City pitcher Jordan Lyles, he hit a first-pitch knuckle curve for a run-scoring single. It was a game-changer, putting New York on top, 6-5.

"We'll take some time to unwind," said Torres, "and then get after it again."

My opener/follower strategy worked only ok and kept us in the game long enough to go into extra innings. New York just has some hitters that are hard to get out of the box on strikes.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
B. Bernardino     1.2  2 1 1  1  4 0  35 3.60    
C. Hernandez      5.0  6 4 4  3  1 0  92 5.73    
A. Claudio        0.1  1 0 0  0  0 0  4  3.00    
J. Lyles L   (3-3)3.0  3 4 1  0  2 0  38 3.30

Batters Faced: B. Bernardino 8, C. Hernandez 24, A. Claudio 1, J. Lyles 13
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: B. Bernardino 0-1, C. Hernandez 8-6, A. Claudio 0-0, J. Lyles 2-5
Pitches - Strikes: B. Bernardino 35-19, C. Hernandez 92-49, A. Claudio 4-3, J. Lyles 38-28
Inherited Runners - Scored: C. Hernandez 2-0, A. Claudio 1-0

We have had some close and good games with NY this series, but have yet to come out a winner. I’m hoping we get at least this last game.
Nick Loftin got hurt early with a leg injury while running the basepaths, so he’ll get a 10-day IL stint, and we’ll look to bring up David Schnieder, whom we picked up in a trade with Toronto during pre-season. He’s crushing right now in Triple-A, so he gets the call for now.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: DJ LeMahieu
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (72 degrees), wind blowing out to the right at 10 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:44
Attendance: 23880
Special Notes: 3B Nick Loftin was injured while running the bases.

[Biggp07]

I’m tired of losing to the Yankees!

Game Summary – June 13th – New York Beats Kansas City, 7-4



New York Yankees starter Nestor Cortes found his groove in his team's 7-4 win over the Kansas City Royals. The Royals, now 30-41, have lost 4 in a row. The result might have been different, had it not been for three-time All-Star DJ LeMahieu. LeMahieu had a 2-run double in the top of the eighth inning to put the Yankees ahead, 5-1. For the game, LeMahieu had 1 double and 1 single in 3 at-bats.

"Nestor went out and did what we needed," said New York manager Aaron Boone.

Have I mentioned yet that I hate the Yankees?

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Nestor Cortes
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (78 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 12 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Time: 3:21
Attendance: 22785

[Biggp07]

Today, we begin a 3-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers on the road. They play in Dodger Stadium, a good ballpark for hitters, and it has room for 55000 fans. The Dodgers are playing .586 ball this season, compiling a record of 41 wins and 29 losses. They are in 2nd place in the West Division, 1.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 335 ranks 4th in the National League, and their .245 batting average ranks 7th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 317 runs (9th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 3.76, which ranks 3rd. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 4.93, ranking 13th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP B. Singer (3-5, 4.68 ERA) vs RHP Y. Yamamoto (6-5, 3.28 ERA)
RHP S. Lugo (2-5, 4.37 ERA) vs RHP W. Buehler (7-0, 2.84 ERA)
LHP K. Bubic (0-0, 6.75 ERA) vs LHP J. Paxton (5-3, 4.39 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Age: 25, Overall: 80, Potential: 80)
2. DH Shohei Ohtani (29, 75, 75)
3. C Will Smith (29, 70, 70)
4. SP Tyler Glasnow (30, 70, 70)
5. 1B Freddie Freeman (34, 70, 70)

Game Summary – June 14th – Dodgers Absorb 5-4 Home Loss



The Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals provided some drama for the home crowd. Brady Singer propelled his team to victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The final score was 5-4, Kansas City. Kansas City is last in the American League Central Division with a record of 31-41. Kansas City right fielder Drew Waters contributed a timely at-bat in the top of the sixth. With two down, he hit a cutter to left-center field for a run-scoring single. It was his 41st hit of the season and put the Royals ahead, 5-1. Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard called it "a good, solid win."

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
B. Singer W  (4-5) 5.0 3 1 1  3  5 1  92 4.50    
A. Claudio         1.0 0 0 0  0  0 0  12 2.25    
A. Zerpa           1.1 2 2 2  2  2 0  32 4.89    
J. Lyles H   (3)   0.2 2 1 1  2  0 0  28 3.45    
J. Schreiber SV(5) 1.0 1 0 0  0  1 0  19 3.46

Batters Faced: B. Singer 20, A. Claudio 3, A. Zerpa 8, J. Lyles 6, J. Schreiber 4
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: B. Singer 2-7, A. Claudio 0-3, A. Zerpa 0-2, J. Lyles 2-0, J. Schreiber 0-2
Pitches - Strikes: B. Singer 92-55, A. Claudio 12-8, A. Zerpa 32-18, J. Lyles 28-15, J. Schreiber 19-12
Inherited Runners - Scored: J. Lyles 1-1

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Brady Singer
Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (66 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 8 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM PT
Time: 3:42
Attendance: 48690

[Biggp07]

Well, our pitching staff all seem to be less than rested enough for any starts, so I called down to Omaha and requested a fresh starter to come up and fill in the rotation tonight until Seth and the others can get rested up. We optioned Bubic and called up David Lynch IV for the start tonight.

Game Summary – June 15th – Dodgers Lose at Home, 8-4



Behind the hitting of Javier Vaz, the Kansas City Royals stopped the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-4. Vaz was 3-5 with a double and 2 singles, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once for the Royals. Daniel Lynch IV earned the win to go to 1 0. He allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work. The 4th-place Royals improved to 32-41. With Kansas City leading 4-2 in the top of the seventh, Vaz hit a fastball from Walker Buehler for a 2-run double. It was his 3rd double of the season, and he put the Royals ahead, 6-2.

"Nice win for us," said Vaz. "Now we'll go after the next one."

Our call-up of David Lynch IV was a good decision for us tonight. I will keep him in the rotation for now since his first start was better than Bubic’s first. Our bullpen is pretty tired, though, so tomorrow night will be a delicate pitching cycle.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
D. LynchIV W (1-0) 6.1 7 2 2  1  3 1 101 2.84   
J. Taylor          1.0 0 2 2  3  2 0  32 5.19   
J. Schreiber       1.0 2 0 0  2  1 0  31 3.33    
A. Claudio SV (1)  0.2 0 0 0  0  0 0   2 1.93

Batters Faced: D. Lynch IV 27, J. Taylor 6, J. Schreiber 6, A. Claudio 1
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: D. Lynch IV 11-5, J. Taylor 0-1, J. Schreiber 0-1, A. Claudio 1-0
Pitches - Strikes: D. Lynch IV 101-58, J. Taylor 32-14, J. Schreiber 31-15, A. Claudio 2-2
Inherited Runners - Scored: J. Taylor 1-0, J. Schreiber 2-2, A. Claudio 2-0



GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Javier Vaz
Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (69 degrees), wind blowing out to right at 7 mph
Start Time: 6:10 PM PT
Time: 3:37
Attendance: 52432

[Biggp07]

Below are the current standings for the American League All-Star Fan voting (as of Sun., Jun. 16th, 2024) for the All-Star Game, which will be played on Tue. Jul. 16th, 2024. The top vote getter at this point is Juan Soto with 2,185,482 votes.

The Royals have 2 players still in the running for the All-Star game, SP Cole Ragans and RP Brennan Bernardino.

CATCHER
1. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles: 1,556,273
2. René Pinto, Tampa Bay Rays: 1,098,315
3. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners: 1,053,948

FIRST BASE
1. Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles: 1,154,020
2. Nathaniel Lowe, Texas Rangers: 1,150,175
3. Nolan Schanuel, Los Angeles Angels: 1,145,415

SECOND BASE
1. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros: 1,231,887
2. Andres Gimenez, Cleveland Guardians: 1,172,131
3. Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers: 1,168,967

THIRD BASE
1. Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians: 1,350,697
2. Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox: 1,303,991
3. Isaac Paredes, Tampa Bay Rays: 1,132,073

SHORTSTOP
1. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers: 1,594,777
2. Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays: 1,454,778
3. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles: 1,415,363

LEFT FIELD
1. Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians: 980,356
2. Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox: 976,941
3. Alex Verdugo, New York Yankees: 917,160

CENTER FIELD
1. Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins: 1,625,687
2. Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners: 1,133,519
3. Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox: 1,098,723

RIGHT FIELD
1. Juan Soto, New York Yankees: 2,185,482
2. Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros: 1,398,875
3. Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins: 1,180,625

DESIGNATED HITTER
1. Yandy Díaz, Tampa Bay Rays: 1,437,331
2. Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros: 1,284,576
3. Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels: 1,091,050

STARTING PITCHER
1. George Kirby, Seattle Mariners: 865,152
2. Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals: 852,439
3. Pablo Lopez, Minnesota Twins: 839,291
4. Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers: 833,064
5. Framber Valdez, Houston Astros: 828,006

RELIEVER
1. David Robertson, Texas Rangers: 808,998
2. Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners: 803,023
3. Clay Holmes, New York Yankees: 771,742
4. Pete Fairbanks, Tampa Bay Rays: 732,860
5. Brennan Bernardino, Kansas City Royals: 728,458

Soto has registered a career batting average of .293 with 866 hits, 188 homers, and 554 RBIs.

Game Summary – June 16th – Royals Stun Dodgers, 7-3



Los Angeles got a big-time effort from pitcher James Paxton, but it wasn't enough to keep the Kansas City Royals from winning the game, 7-3. Paxton threw 7.1 innings of 3-hit ball for the losing team. The Kansas City win streak is now 3 games. Kansas City took a 7-3 lead on Javier Vaz's 5th double of the season. The bases-clearing double, which Vaz hit at the top of the ninth, left Los Angeles pitcher Alex Vesia visibly frustrated.

"It never gets old," said Vaz. "Winning, that is."

Yep, and it’s nice to get a sweep on the road. Tomorrow, we get to rest and prepare for a 13-game series set, first six with Oakland and Texas on the road still and then we’re back home for seven games against Miami and Cleveland. This will be a tough month for us to come out above .500, but that’s what we’re hitting for.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	 Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
S. Lugo             6.0 4 2 2  4  3 0 103 4.22   
W. Smith            0.2 2 1 1  1  1 0  33 3.91    
B. Bernardino W(1-0)1.1 0 0 0  0  0 0  12 2.84    
C. Stratton         1.0 0 0 0  0  0 0  17 3.86

Batters Faced: S. Lugo 25, W. Smith 5, B. Bernardino 4, C. Stratton 3
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: S. Lugo 5-8, W. Smith 0-1, B. Bernardino 4-0, C. Stratton 2-1
Pitches - Strikes: S. Lugo 103-62, W. Smith 33-18, B. Bernardino 12-8, C. Stratton 17-9
Inherited Runners - Scored: B. Bernardino 2-0 WP: S. Lugo Hit Batsmen: S. Lugo

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: James Paxton
Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (73 degrees), wind blowing out to right at 9 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM PT
Time: 3:31
Attendance: 51043

[Biggp07]

We have a 3-game series on the road against the Oakland Athletics kicking off today. We will meet at the Oakland Coliseum, which seats 35,067 and plays like a ballpark that favors pitchers. With a record of 29 wins and 45 losses, the Athletics have a winning percentage of 0.392. They are in 5th place in the West Division, 12.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 290 ranks 14th in the American League, and their .228 batting average ranks 15th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 324 runs (6th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.38, which ranks 9th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 3.45, ranking 2nd. When playing against our Royals this season, they have a record of 1 win and 2 losses.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP C. Hernandez (2-3, 5.73 ERA) vs RHP F. Tarnok (3-2, 3.66 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (2-7, 4.47 ERA) vs RHP M. Spence (5-5, 4.27 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (4-5, 4.50 ERA) vs LHP J. Sears (4-5, 5.17 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. CL Mason Miller (Age: 25, Overall: 60, Potential: 60)
2. CF Esteury Ruiz (25, 60, 60)
3. RP Lucas Erceg (29, 50, 50)
4. SS Adeiny Hechavarría (35, 50, 50)
5. 1B Brent Rooker (29, 50, 50)

Game Summary – June 18th – Tarnok in Cruise Control in 12-2 Win



Oakland starter Freddy Tarnok kept the Kansas City offense under wraps, while his team rolled to victory, 12-2. The Athletics sport a record of 30-45. Tarnok allowed 1 run on 1 hit over 8 innings for the Athletics. With the win, he is 4-2 with an ERA of 3.29.

"I know we have our doubters," said Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard. "But I still have high hopes for this team."

Yes, I still have high hopes, of course, but how do we come out here to the west coast and sweep the LA Dodgers just 2 days ago, then come back out here and lose this badly? I’m stumped for an answer to that, but it just feels like we take 3 steps forward and 2 steps back every week with these series. I mean, this is Oakland for Christ’s sake! And we had a day off! WTF? And look at the miserable attendance. What a joke.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Freddy Tarnok
Ballpark: Oakland Coliseum
Weather: Partly Cloudy (63 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 11 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM PT
Time: 3:01
Attendance: 8238

[Biggp07]

Nothing like a little humility, I guess. Oakland takes the series with one game left.

Game Summary – June 19th – Athletics Earn 6-3 Home Win



Mitch Spence, who is tied for 9th in the AL in wins with 6, propelled his team to victory over the Kansas City Royals. The final score was 6-3, Oakland. The winning pitcher was Spence, now 6-5. He tossed 6.1 innings of 3-hit ball, while walking 2 and fanning 4. The win puts Oakland at 31-45. In the bottom of the fourth, Oakland left fielder Seth Brown had a productive at-bat. With the bases loaded and one out, Brown stroked a 2-run single to right-center. It made the score 5-1, Oakland. For the game, he was 3-5 with a double and 2 singles, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once.
Spence told the media after that game that the mood in the clubhouse is "extremely positive" after a win like that
.
Well, I’m glad Oakland could get some good attendance, if less than last night is good. Doesn’t say much for how much we draw in, though.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Mitch Spence
Ballpark: Oakland Coliseum
Weather: Partly Cloudy (61 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 5 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM PT
Time: 3:17
Attendance: 7188