Sacramento A’s pitcher Jacob Lopez delivers to the Kansas City Royals line up in the bottom first inning at Kaufman Stadium at Kansas City on Sat Jun 14, 2025 (AP News photo)

Green and Gold Silence Royals Behind Long Ball and Stellar Pitching

By Mauricio Segura

In a sharp and steady Saturday matinee showing at Kauffman Stadium, the Sacramento Athletics rode a power surge and airtight pitching to a 4-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals, shutting down Kansas City with clinical precision and just enough flash to keep things interesting.

The green and gold wasted little time getting on the board. After Tyler Soderstrom drew a walk to open the second inning, Max Muncy launched a two-run shot to left field, his fifth of the year, putting the Athletics up 2-0. It was a no-doubt line drive that never considered staying in the park.

Soderstrom later proved his value again in the fourth, working another walk, swiping second base, and scoring on a Luis Urías double to left. That made it 3-0, giving the A’s just enough cushion to settle into cruise control.

Lawrence Butler added an exclamation mark in the seventh with a solo blast to dead center, his tenth of the season. It was the only hit the Athletics managed off Kansas City reliever Daniel Lynch IV, who had just replaced starter Michael Lorenzen. The green and gold didn’t do much else after that, but they didn’t need to.

The Royals, meanwhile, could barely touch A’s pitching. They scattered just five hits and never advanced a runner past third. A disengagement violation in the third gave Kansas City its only brief spark when Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. advanced into scoring position with two outs. But Vinnie Pasquantino flew out to right, ending the threat.

Pasquantino, in fact, struck out three times, part of a larger struggle for Kansas City’s offense. Athletics pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts, and no Royal reached base more than once except for Garcia, who doubled and singled.

Athletics starter Jacob Lopez kept the Royals guessing with four crisp innings. Michael Kelly took over in the fifth and was equally effective, getting help from center fielder Denzel Clarke, who chased down deep flies from Jac Caglianone and Freddy Fermin in the seventh to maintain the shutout. Hogan Harris closed the door in the ninth, striking out Pasquantino once more and stranding a Mark Canha single that barely broke the infield.

On a day where offensive action was sporadic, Soderstrom quietly put together a strong performance: two walks, a stolen base, a run scored, and solid defense in left. Denzel Clarke also contributed on both sides of the ball, reaching base and covering serious ground in center.

The Athletics, who entered the series looking to shake off recent inconsistencies, now have their 28th win of the season and will look to build on this momentum to go back home with a sweep tomorrow afternoon.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.

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