A dozen runs turned out to be enough, just barely.
The Oakland A’s held on for a wild 12-10 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium, in a game that saw the two teams combine for 35 hits and 46 total baserunners. The slumping A’s bullpen made it interesting at the end as usual, nearly blowing a seven-run lead, but they stranded the winning run on base in the 9th.
Oakland’s lineup is having a hot September, and one key difference tonight is they didn’t stop scoring after an early outburst. In many of their recent frustrating losses, the offense has taken a quick lead but then gone silent, while the pitching staff struggles to hold on and eventually blows it.