The Kansas City Royals bring an 11-17 record into Saturday's game against the Athletics, who are 15-13 and in first place early in the season. The meeting at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California, gives Oakland's successor club another chance to show that its fast start is not a fluke.
The Athletics have already done that to some degree. After four straight losing seasons as they moved eastward to Sacramento on the road to Las Vegas, they finished 35-29 after the All-Star break last year and have carried that edge into this season. Carlos Cortes has been a big part of the early push, hitting.538 with three home runs in his last seven games to earn AL Player of the Week honors.
This matchup also features two offenses that are closer than the standings suggest. Kansas City averages 4.18 runs per game, while the Athletics average 4.25. The Royals allow 4.86 runs per game, and the Athletics give up 4.54. Sacramento has not been a gentle landing spot, either: Sutter Health Park has played as a very home run-friendly ballpark, and the Athletics have leaned on a home.360 on-base percentage that drops to.291 on the road.
That split matters because the Royals are likely to see plenty of live arms and a lineup that has started to rediscover its power. Nick Kurtz was fifth in the American League with 36 home runs last year, though he did not make his major league debut until April 23. Brent Rooker is just back from the injured list after an oblique injury, while Jacob Wilson has drawn only one walk in 27 games and Max Muncy carries a 35.6 percent strikeout rate. Austin Wynns, meanwhile, has two of his six career home runs last year against Kansas City.
The Royals have their own test on the mound with Aaron Civale, who has given up 17 hits and eight runs in his last 10 innings over two starts. Salvador Perez has seen him well, going 7-for-21 with three home runs against him in his career, and Civale's cutter has been a problem pitch this year as opponents are hitting.296 against it. Kansas City will also have to deal with Luis Severino, who won his first game of the year in his last start by allowing one run in 6.2 innings against the Rangers. He is 5-1 with a 3.67 ERA in seven career starts against the Royals, though he owns a 6.15 ERA in 17 starts at Sutter Health Park.
Jeffrey Springs gives the Athletics another layer of intrigue. He has a reverse split this year, with right-handers hitting.185/.269/.326 against him, and his changeup has produced a 48 percent whiff rate. Behind him, the bullpen has a 4.05 ERA, a useful number for a group that has been built around unproven pitchers and cast-offs. Joel Kuhnel, a 31-year-old journeyman with barely 100 career major league innings, has been anointed the closer early on, Jack Perkins has had some save chances at 26, and Scott Barlow arrived after posting a 4.21 ERA in 75 games with the Reds last season.
The Athletics also have some recent momentum at home and away that does not line up neatly with their reputation. They lost a home series to the White Sox before winning series in Seattle and Texas on the road, a reminder that this club is still trying to sort out what it is. For Kansas City, the task is simpler: make a push against a team that has outplayed expectations, in a park that can change games with one swing.
