Royals polish off four-game sweep of Athletics

Bobby Witt Jr. homered among his two hits and scored three times, while Salvador Perez and Michael Massey each had three hits to propel the Kansas City Royals to a four-game sweep of the visiting Athletics with a 6-2 victory on Thursday.

Nick Loftin added an RBI triple in the Royals’ 12-hit attack.

Carlos Cortes and Lawrence Butler had two hits for the A’s.

Royals starter Randy Dobnak scattered six hits and four walks across four scoreless innings while striking out four. It was the Royals’ first four-game sweep of the A’s since 1994.

Athletics starter Gage Jump (5-8) allowed five runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts in four innings.

With one out in the first, Witt hit a solo homer. Maikel Garcia followed with a double. Perez’s grounder then ricocheted off Darell Hernaiz’s glove at shortstop for an error and rolled into shallow left. Hernaiz recovered the ball and threw to third, where Garcia was tagged out after pulling up with what was reported to be a strained left hamstring. Garcia exited the game.

Cortes opened the second with a single before Brian Serven struck out swinging. Donovan Walton walked and Hernaiz’s infield single loaded the bases. But Henry Bolte struck out looking and Jeff McNeil grounded out as Dobnak escaped the jam.

Kansas City took a 3-0 lead in the third. Witt singled with one out and, after John Rave struck out, he advanced to third on Perez’s blooper to right. Vinnie Pasquantino walked before Isaac Collins’ two-run single scored Witt and Perez.

The Royals’ advantage grew to 5-0 in the fourth. Loftin smoked an RBI triple to right center with one out. Later, with two outs, Perez bounced a run-scoring single up the middle.

In the fifth, the A’s cut their deficit to 5-2. Butler, Max Muncy and Cortes drew consecutive one-out walks. Serven singled to center and Butler scored. Kansas City lifted Carlos Duran for Connor Thomas (1-1), who allowed Walton’s RBI groundout before escaping the jam when he induced Hernaiz to line out to second.

In their half of the frame, the Royals made it 6-2 on Massey’s RBI double.

–Field Level Media