KANSAS CITY -- Sweeps have been few and far between for the Royals this season, who had broken out the brooms just three times entering Thursday. They swept the Angels from April 24-26, the Mariners from May 1-3 and the Giants from July 20-22.
Add the Athletics to the list now, and add a bonus game in there with this series at Kauffman Stadium being a four-game set.
With Thursday afternoon’s 6-2 win, the Royals clinched their first four-game sweep of the A’s in 32 years. They previously did it on Aug. 1-4, 1994. These teams have played 45 four-game series against each other in their histories.
The Royals, who are 17-15 since the All-Star break, have now won five games in a row dating back to Sunday against the Angels, matching their longest win streak this season (also done from May 1-5).
They have a chance to extend it to six on Friday night against the Tigers with Noah Cameron the mound.
Thursday’s finale didn’t come with the late-game chaos that Tuesday’s walk-off win or Wednesday’s seven-run eighth inning had. It looked a little more like Monday, with the offense finding its groove early.
Bobby Witt Jr. homered in the first -- his 16th long ball of the season -- to give the Royals a lead that they continued to add onto in the middle innings. Despite losing third baseman Maikel Garcia early to a left hamstring injury, the lineup received contributions from nearly everyone, including a two-run single from Isaac Collins in the third, RBIs from Nick Loftin (triple) and Salvador Perez (single) in the fourth, and an RBI double from Michael Massey in the fifth.
Kansas City starter Randy Dobnak might have needed 96 pitches to get through four innings, but they were four scoreless innings. He worked around six hits and four walks, struggling with command that led to long and frustrating at-bats.
The A’s are tied with the Rockies as the worst pitching staffs in MLB with a 5.51 ERA. The Athletics' lineup is missing several everyday players because of injuries. They’re 9-37 since June 30. On paper, this was the Royals’ series to win, but on the field, they still have to execute. The Royals know that more than anyone to be true; on paper, this was supposed to be a much different season than their 55-74 record indicates now.