A's bullpen unable to close out game after Perkins' strong outing

KANSAS CITY -- The A’s wanted to give Jack Perkins a boost Tuesday night, so they decided to use an opener ahead of the young right-hander.

That plan worked to perfection. The front of the bullpen was just fine, but the back of the bullpen proved to be the problem as the A’s saw the Royals score three runs in the ninth in a 4-3 A’s loss at Kauffman Stadium.

On a night that was promising for the A’s on many levels -- most notably the Perkins performance -- the A’s ultimately walked away with a sour taste in their mouths.

Hogan Harris got the first man in the ninth, but things started to unravel when Salvador Perez reached on catcher’s interference for the second night in a row. Thereafter, Harris seemed to lose steam as Michael Massey singled and Carter Jensen walked in lefty-versus-lefty matchups. Then came a big moment as Tyler Tolbert took a two-strike checked swing and it was ruled that he held up in time. The A’s vehemently disagreed and manager Mark Kotsay wound up being ejected. Tolbert took advantage of that reprieve by grounding a two-run single to left, tying the game. Then Bobby Witt Jr.'s bloop RBI single off Elvis Alvarado won it for the Royals.

“The checked swing isn’t the game, right? Obviously, it’s a big moment. We get that and we’re one out away. But we still have the bases loaded,” Kotsay said.

In retrospect, Kotsay felt the big issue was when three walks in the eighth necessitated bringing in Harris to get out of that inning with a two-run edge.

“The eighth really led to [problems in] the ninth,” Kotsay said. “At the end of the night, we beat ourselves in this game.”

With development being the big focus as the A’s come down the stretch in 2026, the club made two moves on Tuesday designed to help solidify the back of the starting rotation in the long run. The A’s sent Mason Barnett back to Triple-A Las Vegas for a reset and decided to use an opener for Perkins

Left-hander Brady Basso held up for the opening 2 1/3 innings and then passed the baton to Perkins, who handled the next 3 2/3 innings with the type of performance that could allow him to be part of the A’s pitching plans as they look to 2027. Perkins, who started the night riding a nine-game losing streak and carrying a 7.27 ERA, kept Kansas City off the scoreboard and finished his night with a flourish by striking out the side in the sixth inning.

Prior to the game, Kotsay had discussed the reasons for using an opener before getting to Perkins.

“Perk has been having some difficulty early in games,” Kotsay said. “It’s generally one inning where the outing gets away from him. It’s another element for him that we have to get him through.”

Perkins took over with a 1-0 lead in the third and held tight before departing up 3-0 after six innings. He threw 53 pitches and flooded the zone with 34 strikes. Perkins allowed only one hit and one walk while striking out four.

The A’s received an RBI single from Tommy White in the first, an RBI single by Jeff McNeil in the sixth and a bases-loaded walk from Max Muncy in the sixth.

“I’ve had a lot of experience out of the bullpen, so it wasn’t too different for me,” Perkins said. “Brady did a great job getting us going. For me, it was just a shift in mindset. Going out there and competing to the standard that I want to compete at. I’m a power pitcher. It’s about trusting myself and allowing myself to compete. Tonight, I did that and the result showed.”

A key sequence for Perkins came in the fifth inning. With two on and one out, Perkins had a 3-1 count on Carter Jensen. Perkins went with a 92 mph cutter and Jensen bounced into a double play.

“The cutter has kind of been my go-to pitch when behind in the count,” Perkins said. “Very similar to the fastball but it moves enough to get off the barrel.”

Still, Perkins could only sit and watch as a two-run lead in the ninth slipped away from the A’s bullpen.

“We’re a young team and we continue to learn,” Perkins said. “If we can get better from it, then it’s worth it.”