Oakland Athletics Finally got a win from the starting pitcher on Friday
Kyle Mueller hosted Kansas City Royals held at bay for 5 1/3 innings while the A’s offense flourished during the 12–8 victory. It was the lefty’s first win in an Oakland uniform after arriving in an offseason trade from Atlanta
“It’s been a long time coming,” Müller said. “We had a few chances but we fell a little short. It’s kind of bittersweet. I don’t think the performance was worthy of a first win, but I’m excited that we got the first one.”
The A’s started 0–12, going without a win in the first 32 games, a major-league record streak to start a season.
Manager Mark Kotse said, “We had a lot of chances and we just weren’t able to close it out.” “So, tonight was the big one, getting that out of the way and hopefully no more distractions.”
Friday’s victory was his second by more than a run; Five of their last six wins were one-run affairs. It could have been more of a one-run win if Oakland had not added late insurance.
Kotse said, “We have lost some matches from which we could not save runs.” “Tonight in that eighth inning we were able to tack on those extra runs that really helped us. The win has been tough to get and it’s nice to be able to end the game like that.”
Rookie center fielder Esteri Ruiz contributed by stealing for the second time in the game – then scoring her third run of the game. Ruiz leads the American League with 15 stolen bases.
Brent Rucker connected for his 10th homer, fifth best in the majors, and finished with three RBI. Exercise took an early lead
“It’s nice to see positive results from both Ruiz and Rucker,” Kotse said. “We’ve got more talent on this roster that also has a lot of positives going for them.”
The A’s look to get their first consecutive win on Saturday by sending lefty Ken Waldichuk (0-2, 7.26 ERA) to the opposite. Royal Family RIGHT Brady Singer (2-3, 8.49)
This will be Waldichuk’s first appearance against Kansas City, while Singer will make his fourth career start against Oakland.
Singer is 0-2 with a 4.58 ERA against Exercise After losing both games against Oakland last June
Singer is coming off his worst start of the year after giving up eight runs in the third inning on Sunday at Minnesota.
Despite a resurgent crime, Royal Family There are 4-16 in the last three weeks. Kansas City has scored 44 runs in the last seven games, but has just two wins to show for it.
The club lost consecutive games in which they came back from a seven-run deficit, only to lose because the bullpen gave up eight runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
“It certainly doesn’t look good at all,” said manager Matt Quattro. “But the mood in the dugout didn’t change. They thought we were back again. Not that it crushed everyone.”
Royal Family Reliever has given up 15 runs while walking 16 in last three losses
“We didn’t expect this to happen, so it’s disappointing,” Quattro said. “We know our guys can do better than this. That’s where the frustration comes in. We’re just not looking our best.”
– Field Level Media