Kansas City Royals Bobby Witt Jr hits a two run home run in the bottom of the second inning against the Sacramento A’s at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City on Mon Aug 17, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics scored first, but Kansas City Royals ensurerd the early lead did not last coming back later to defeat the A’s 9-5 at Kaufman Stadium Monday night. Jeff McNeil opened the game with a solo home run to right, continuing a second-half surge that had him batting .380 since the All-Star break. Henry Bolte and Zack Gelof followed with singles, giving the A’s a chance to build something bigger, but Carlos Cortes grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Kansas City answered with three runs in the bottom half. Bobby Witt Jr. drew a walk, Jac Caglianone singled, and a Mason Barnett wild pitch moved both runners up. Maikel Garcia tied the game with an RBI single before Salvador Perez brought home two more with a two-run single to center. The Royals were ahead 3-1, and they never trailed again.

Barnett’s trouble continued in the second. Kyle Isbel drew a walk, advanced on another wild pitch, and scored when Witt launched a two-run homer to left-center. In the third, Michael Massey singled, Isaac Collins drew a walk, and Isbel drove in Massey with a single for a 6-1 lead. Hayden Juenger replaced Barnett after 2 2/3 innings. Barnett allowed six runs on seven hits and four walks, striking out two. He had entered the game with an 8.78 ERA in his first three starts of the season after beginning the year as a reliever.

There was a little baseball symmetry in Barnett’s assignment. Kansas City originally drafted him in 2022 before trading him to the A’s with Will Klein and Jared Dick for Lucas Erceg in 2024. Erceg would later pitch the ninth inning for the Royals against the team that acquired Barnett.

The A’s finally broke through against Michael Wacha in the fifth. Tommy White led off with a solo homer, his second major league home run and his second in as many games after hitting the first of his career a day earlier. Donovan Walton followed with a double, moved to third on Alika Williams’ flyout, and scored when Brian Serven hit a two-run homer to left. In a span of four batters, the Athletics had cut a five-run deficit to 6-4.

Kansas City answered again in the sixth. Witt singled, stole second and scored on Caglianone’s RBI single against Scott Blewett, pushing the lead to 7-4. The Royals added two more in the eighth against Seth Johnson. Carter Jensen doubled, Witt doubled him home, and Caglianone followed with another RBI single. Witt finished 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBI, four runs scored, a walk and a stolen base. Caglianone added three hits and two RBI.

The A’s had one last opening in the ninth. Cortes singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, and White and Walton drew walks to load the bases with nobody out. Steven Cruz replaced Erceg and got pinch-hitter Jonah Heim to ground into a double play. Cortes scored, but White was left at third with two outs. Serven then grounded out to finish the 9-5 loss.

Those double plays were more than a one-game annoyance. The Athletics entered the game fourth in the majors with 95 grounded-into double plays, then added three more against Kansas City. The first erased a promising opening inning, the second wiped out Butler’s leadoff single in the sixth, and the third turned a bases-loaded ninth into a single run.

The Green and Gold will try to square the series Tuesday as Jack Perkins (2-9, 7.27 ERA, 94 strikeouts) faces left-hander Daniel Lynch IV (4-4, 2.88 ERA, 40 strikeouts), with first pitch scheduled for 4:40 p.m. Pacific.

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.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.