Butler homers as Nick Kurtz walk streak reaches 18 in Athletics’ 5-2 win

Lawrence Butler’s three-run homer powered the Athletics to a 5-2 win over the Royals. Nick Kurtz extended his walk streak to 18 straight games and capped a key two-run swing.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Athletics turned a few patient at-bats into separation, and Lawrence Butler’s three-run homer gave them the cushion they needed in a 5-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Butler broke things open in the fourth with a 404-foot drive, turning a tight moment into a three-run advantage and quieting Kansas City’s late rally chances.. On the mound, Luis Severino delivered seven innings of steady control, allowing one run while striking out eight, as the Royals’ four-game winning streak came to an abrupt stop.

The headline inside the box score, though, was Nick Kurtz.. He hit an RBI double and also worked a walk, extending his consecutive-game walk run to 18.. That total tied Barry Bonds for the longest such streak in nearly 80 years, a rare kind of consistency that doesn’t show up only in power numbers—it shows up every time a hitter makes the decision to take the pitch when the moment calls for it.

Kurtz’s plate discipline has become a theme for Oakland’s lineup recently, and Wednesday’s game added another layer: even when an at-bat doesn’t end in a hit, it can still change the shape of an inning.. With Cortes providing a spark earlier, and Kurtz adding both an RBI and a walk, the Athletics kept Kansas City playing from behind in a game that was never fully out of reach until the fourth.

Severino, meanwhile, did the job of preventing the Royals from stringing together consistent damage.. He held Kansas City to four hits and two walks over his seven innings, giving the Athletics a chance to keep innings clean on defense and methodical at the plate.. Mark Leiter Jr.. finished the job with the final out for his third save, sealing it without turning the game into a tense late scramble.

There were also small but meaningful momentum shifts at the plate.. Kansas City scored a couple runs off the Athletics’ early rhythm through a combination of RBI moments and extra-base production, and Bobby Witt Jr.. contributed with a pair of hits, including scoring both Kansas City runs while extending his own hit streak to 10 games.

For the Royals, Michael Wacha struggled with command early and paid for it.. He allowed four runs on eight hits and walked four in five innings, and those free passes mattered as the Athletics filled the bases and cashed in at the right time.. The result was a game Kansas City never quite controlled, even though it battled back into the scoring column.

Behind the scenes, the Athletics’ approach was clear: create opportunities, then let a hitter like Butler swing the outcome in a single pitch.. Wilson got the ball rolling with a leadoff double in the second and later scored on another double from McNeil to tie the game at 1-1, an early reminder that Oakland’s offensive plan wasn’t built only for one inning—it was built for repeatable pressure.

The Kurtz walk streak adds a fascinating historical thread, not just for the number itself but for what it says about modern hitting.. In an era where pitchers constantly adjust with strikeout pitches and movement, drawing walks requires more than patience; it requires recognizing patterns and refusing to chase the wrong pitches.. The fact that the streak reached a mark associated with Barry Bonds gives it extra weight, especially considering the long span between comparable runs.

Looking ahead, the scheduling also matters.. Noah Cameron is set to start Thursday for Kansas City against Jeffrey Springs in the second game of a three-game set.. For the Athletics, the challenge will be turning disciplined at-bats into bigger runs consistently, rather than relying on a single swing—because if the Royals tighten up the mistakes, the way Oakland attacks might decide whether Wednesday’s breakout carries over.