Game Thread #66: A’s vs. Royals

A couple of Bay Area sports teams finished up their trips to Boston on high notes Thursday, including the Oakland A’s who won their series finale against the Red Sox. Now the A’s are back home to host the Kansas City Royals at the Coliseum.

The series begins Friday, with Frankie Montas on the mound for Oakland. The right-hander allowed five runs in his last outing but won anyway, his first victory since mid-April; in his previous nine appearances he posted a 2.87 ERA and made six quality starts but the team lost all nine games. He’s tied for fifth in the AL in strikeouts.

The Royals turn to lefty Daniel Lynch, a former 1st-round draft pick who appeared on multiple national Top 30 prospect lists entering 2021. He reached MLB last year for 15 starts, and he’s made 11 more so far this season, but he’s yet to find his groove in the majors with an ERA in the mid-5s and lackluster rates of strikeouts, walks, and homers. He faced the A’s once last September but exited that game early due to an injury.

A’s lineup (home)

1. LF Chad Pinder (R)
2. RF Ramon Laureano (R)
3. DH Christian Bethancourt (R)
4. C Sean Murphy (R)
5. 3B Matt Davidson (R)
6. 1B Seth Brown (L)
7. SS Elvis Andrus (R)
8. 2B Jonah Bride (R)
9. CF Cristian Pache (R)

• RHP Frankie Montas

Royals lineup (away)

1. 2B Whit Merrifield (R)
2. LF Andrew Benintendi (L)
3. SS Bobby Witt Jr. (R)
4. C Salvador Perez (R)
5. DH MJ Melendez (L)
6. 1B Hunter Dozier (R)
7. RF Kyle Isbel (L)
8. CF Michael A. Taylor (R)
9. 3B Nicky Lopez (L)

• LHP Daniel Lynch

How to watch/listen

• Date: Friday, June 17
• Time: 6:40 p.m. PT
• TV: NBC Sports California
• Radio: 960 AM
• Streaming (listen): A’s Cast