4:07 pm
June 13

Royals @ Athletics

Who will WIN this matchup?

Kansas City Royals (30-33)

@ Oakland Athletics (39-27)

 

Starting Pitchers:

Bubic (KC): 1-1; 3.32 ERA

Bassitt (OAK) 6-2; 3.44 ERA

 

Current odds:

Kansas City Royals: (+175)

Oakland Athletics: (-195)

 

After splitting a pair of games to begin the four-game set, the A’s put together one of their best all-around performances of the season in an 11-2 win on Saturday. That contest featured six shutout innings by rookie starter James Kaprielian and home runs from Matt Chapman, Skye Bolt and Matt Olson. Oakland celebrated more than just its season-best 14 hits afterward, as the homer by Bolt was the first of his career. He has two hits in 20 career at-bats.

Bassitt (6-2, 3.44 ERA) has received 35 runs of support in his last five starts. Not that he’s needed it. During his 11-game run in which he’s gone 6-0 with a 3.10 ERA, Bassitt has allowed two or fewer runs nine times and never more than four. He is coming off a 5-2 win over Arizona on Tuesday in which he allowed just two runs on four hits in seven innings. The 32-year-old has never beaten the Royals in his career, going 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA in five starts.

They hope to have more to cheer about Sunday, when left-hander Kris Bubic (1-1, 3.32) pitches in the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time since his standout career at Stanford. A San Jose native, Bubic has never faced the A’s. He’s coming off his first loss in five starts this season, 8-1 Tuesday in Los Angeles against the Angels.

That game featured the longest home run of the major-league season, a Shohei Ohtani rocket off Bubic that Angels manager Joe Maddon called the longest ball he’d ever seen hit. Bubic was impressed as well.

6/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Oakland Athletics