A’s claim series victory over Royals with 5-1 win

Luis Medina’s best start to date mixed with a well-balanced offensive attack creates for a win

Maybe all the A’s ever needed was a little home cooking.

After dropping nine straight games, most of them on the road, the A’s have now bounced back with back-to-back commanding wins at home over the Kansas City Royals. Tonight, Luis Medina led the way with his best start and first win of the season.

With the 5-1 win, the A’s have clinched a series victory for the first time since May 21-23 when they took ²⁄₃ at home against the Colorado Rockies. The A’s did a good job tonight of sprinkling some runs across throughout the entire game as well unlike their previous series against the Minnesota Twins.

Just like last nights win, the A’s got the games scoring started in the third with back-to-back RBI singles from Miguel Andujar and Brent Rooker.

The Royals cut the lead in half in the fifth thanks to a Bobby Witt Jr. RBI double but that was really their only threat of the night. The Royals would get their lead-off runner on base just one time besides the fifth including the fourth inning when Andujar hosed out Salvador Perez at second trying to stretch a lead-off single to a double.

Credit Medina for keeping the Royals offense at bay through 5.2 innings of work. He allowed six hits in the effort but just one run while striking out three and walking two.

The A’s added on two much insurance runs in the seventh with a runner on first. Three straight singles from Andujar, Rooker and Tyler Nevin grew the lead to 4-1 for the A’s.

It was another day of being the A’s offensive catalyst for Andujar who’s now up to .330 on the season after a 3/5 effort tonight. He also has ten multi-hit games across 22 total. Credit Rooker as well — he was ²⁄₃ at the plate. The rest of the A’s lineup combined for just three hits.

It wouldn’t matter tonight, however, as the A’s bullpen bridged the strong effort from Medina to finish the game strongly. Dany Jimenez worked the minimum in the seventh inning and Austin Adams followed it up by striking out a pair in a scoreless eighth to set up Mason Miller in the ninth.

It wouldn’t be a save situation for Miller tonight though. Zack Gelof added a fifth run in the bottom of the eighth with a no-doubter to straightaway center.

For a minute it looked like it could be Scott Alexander in the bottom of the ninth with the non-save situation, but Mark Kotsay opted for Miller for the second consecutive night. Miller surrendered a lead-off walk but buckled down to strikeout a pair and close out the win.

It’s the A’s first back-to-back victories since the beginning of May, and they’ll go for the sweep tomorrow. Mitch Spence gets the start against Seth Lugo who’s 10-2 on the season. First-pitch is at 12:37 PM PDT.