OAKLAND, Calif. – Zack Gelof hit his first home run in nearly three weeks and the Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals 7-5 on Tuesday night, ending a nine-game losing streak.
JJ Bleday had a career-high three doubles and drove in two runs, and Miguel Andujar added two hits to help Oakland to its first win since June 7.
“Getting a win in this league is difficult, as we have seen in recent weeks,” said Gelof. “To get a win at home in front of the fans is incredible. I’ve been working with the coaches and teammates and it seemed like I was getting quality at-bats today.”
The last-place A’s (27-48) have the fourth-worst record in the majors.
A moment of silence was held before the game to honor Willie Mays, the Hall of Fame center fielder who died earlier in the day. Mays got the final hit of his illustrious career at the Oakland Coliseum in the 1973 World Series.
“I just wanted to be half the player he was,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay, who played center field for much of his career. “The catches he made and just the smile he had, the impact he had on the game of baseball. His loss is felt today and will be felt for a long time.”
Nick Loftin hit his first career home run and had three RBIs for the Royals, who have lost three of four.
Gelof, who entered a 5-for-30 funk, singled and scored in the first inning and then hit a three-run homer off starter Alec Marsh (5-4) in the fourth.
“I’ve struggled a little, but it’s worth overcoming when it counts,” Gelof said. “It was great and I hope there is more to come.”
Hogan Harris (1-0) pitched five uneven innings to get the win, his first since late 2023 when he also beat the Royals. Harris, who came out on top but got no decision in each of his previous three starts, allowed three runs (one earned) and four hits.
Kansas City, which left the bases loaded in the fourth, scored twice against Lucas Erceg in the eighth and got the potential tying run before Scott Alexander got Adam Frazier to fly out. Mason Miller retired three batters in the ninth for his 13th save, the fourth-most saves by a rookie in franchise history.
Coming off an 0-7 road trip, the A’s left early on their return home.
Leadoff hitter Max Schuemann came in first and scored on Bleday’s double off the wall. After Bleday advanced to third on a flyout, Brent Rooker hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
“We definitely needed a good baseball game and a win,” Kotsay said. “We swing the clubs better on the road and continued to swing well tonight. All in all, it’s a good feeling to get back to where we were and bounce back tonight.”
Kansas City tied it with two unearned runs in the second. Freddy Fermin took advantage of Schuemann’s fielding error at shortstop and recovered when Loftin went 0-for-14 with a home run on the next pitch.
Marsh, coming off a stellar outing against the New York Yankees, was tagged for seven runs and a career-high seven hits in three innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: RHP Carlos Hernández has been recalled from Triple-A Omaha. OF Drew Waters was acquired.
Athletics: INF JD Davis, who missed time this season with a right adductor strain, was designated for assignment. OF Seth Brown was immediately sent to Triple-A Las Vegas. OF Lawrence Butler and 3B Tyler Nevin were called up from Las Vegas.
NEXT
Royals LHP Cole Ragans (4-4, 3.14 ERA), who pitched seven scoreless innings against Oakland on May 17, starts the midgame of the series on Wednesday. RHP Luis Medina (0-2, 5.87), who has lost five consecutive decisions since last July, goes to the A’s.
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