A's Continue Woes With 3-2 Loss to Royals

Just a short time ago, the Oakland A's were the hottest team in baseball and they were leading the Wild Card race.


Now, after their latest loss, the A's are 1.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot, and they're on a three-game losing streak.

Oakland failed to support Brandon McCarthy with runs as the A's lost 3-2 to the lowly Royals. McCarthy pitched well into the seventh and allowed just two earned runs, although he will take the loss  while Will Smith of Kansas City takes the win.

The A's led because of a homer by Josh Donaldson and an RBI single by Brandon Moss, and they led 2-1 heading into the 7th. However, Lorenzo Cain and Chris Getz doubled on pitches McCarthy left too far over the plate, and the Royals took the lead.

Then, the A's got too aggressive. Aaron Crow and Greg Holland combined to record four strikeouts in the last two innings, which shut the A's down. Derek Norris and Brandon Moss both chased low (but tempting) pitches from Holland in the ninth, and Moss' strikeout ended the loss.

Donaldson went 2-for-4 and performed well, hitting a towering homer to left field. Chris Carter went 2-for-4 as well, but those were the only bright spots for Oakland (on offense). For the Royals, Alcides Escobar and Billy Butler finished with two hits.

Getz and Cain both went 1-for-3, but they came up with huge hits. McCarthy left a pair of two-strike pitches too far over the plate, and Getz and Cain both hit shots to left field. The go-ahead hit from Getz was barely fair, and that ended McCarthy's night.

Luke Hochevar (7-10, 5.32 ERA) takes the hill for the Royals tomorrow, while Dan Straily (5.06 ERA) pitches for the Athletics.

Posted in: Billy Butler,Brandon McCarthy,Chris Getz,Josh Donaldson,Kansas City Royals,Lorenzo Cain,MLB,Oakland Athletics,Will Smith