OAKLAND — The Athletics came up empty against one of baseball’s worst statistical pitching staffs Saturday, losing 2-0 to the Kansas City Royals at the Coliseum before a crowd of 16,208.
Chris Bassitt, an emergency starter when it was determined Friday Trevor Cahill could not pitch because of a sore Achilles, was the hard-luck losing pitcher in his first major league game since April 28, 2016.
Royals starter Danny Duffy (3-6) locked up the A’s for seven innings, then got relief help from Kevin McCarthy in the eighth and Kelvin Herrera in the ninth to finish off the shutout as Kansas City snapped a six-game losing streak.