Former Royals pitcher gets a bit of revenge against KC in Athletics’ 5-4 victory
Left-hander Richard Lovelady pumped his fist as he walked off the mound at the close of the seventh inning of Saturday’s Royals-A’s game at Kauffman Stadium.
Lovelady, the former Royals pitcher who was traded before the start of the season, had wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out MJ Melendez in Oakland’s 5-4 victory.
Revenge is a dish best served cold, it’s said, but Lovelady found it suited him just fine on a warm spring evening in front of 29,549 fans who came to honor another former Royal: Lorenzo Cain.
Lovelady, who was drafted by the Royals in 2016, had expressed frustration after being sent to Triple-A Omaha at the end of spring training. He was soon traded to the Braves and released — and then signed with the A’s, with whom he has posted a 2.16 ERA.
For the Royals, that missed opportunity with the bases loaded was just par for the course Saturday. They stranded 15 runners and were 2 for 13 with runners on base.
“Yeah, that’s true,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said about the team’s inability to get a key hit, “but to get 15 guys stranded, you’ve got to have some good at-bats, too, to put ‘em on base. And they put a lot of good at-bats together, so there’s a flip side to everything there.”
The Royals are now tied with the A’s for the worst record in baseball at 8-26.
Oakland’s starting pitchers had zero wins this season entering the series with the Royals, but they are now a collective 2-16 after Ken Waldichuk got the victory Saturday night.
Missed the start of the series?
Singer’s struggles
Starting pitcher Brady Singer pitched four innings, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks. He also hit the same batter (Ryan Noda) twice and had four strikeouts. His ERA stands at 8.82 through seven starts.
A year ago, Singer seemed poised to be a breakout star. He made 27 starts and struck out 150 batters in 153 1/3 innings with a 3.23 ERA. He hasn’t been able to replicate that success thus far.
“I went in and established the fastball early,” Singer said, “just get back to my strengths. I felt like the first inning was where I wanted to be and I kind of got in a jam in the second and it kind of unfolded on me there.”
Bullpen shines
Taylor Clarke, Josh Taylor, Josh Staumont and Scott Barlow combined to throw five shutout innings in relief of Singer. They allowed three hits and walked one.
“Five zeroes,” Quatraro noted. “Really a lot of positives out of the bullpen tonight.”
Bobby’s bomb ... and Fermin goes deep
Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning and it was a no-doubter. The ball traveled an estimated 434 feet. It was Witt’s sixth homer of the season, and this one was crushed.
Catcher Freddy Fermin opened the fourth inning with a 427-foot home run. Since being recalled Tuesday, he’s batting .500 (4 for 8) with two homers, a triple and three RBIs.
“My plan is waiting for a fastball and that was a good pitch to hit,” Fermin said.
What’s next: The Royals will try to avoid being swept by the A’s on Sunday. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m., and Ryan Yarbrough will start for the Royals. Mason Miller gets the start for Oakland.
This story was originally published May 6, 2023 at 9:41 PM.
