By the ninth inning the two teams had combined for 14 runs and 21 hits — not the tidy, well-pitched affair either fan base was hoping for, but a fitting way for two clubs playing out the string to spend a Monday night.
Kansas City jumped out with 3 in the first and 2 more in the second before Oakland answered with a 3-run fifth to cut it to 6-4. The Royals tacked on insurance in the sixth and again in the eighth, and it held up as a 9-5 final. Kansas City out-hit the Athletics 13-8 and didn't commit an error, while Oakland's lone miscue only added to a rough night.
Neither club is playing for much beyond pride at 49-75 and 51-74, but the shape of both rosters still matters for how the rest of the year goes. Kansas City has leaned on Wacha as its most stable arm all season, while Oakland is trying to piece together outings from a rotation and lineup stripped down by injuries.
Wacha's quietly put together a strong season by Kansas City's standards, and nights like this — where the offense does the heavy lifting for him — are the kind that keep padding a respectable ledger for a last-place club. For the Athletics, it's another data point in a lineup that's been running thin for weeks.