Hoping to avoid finishing with a losing record for the eighth time in nine years, the visiting Kansas City Royals will face the Athletics on Friday in the opener of the final series of the regular season in West Sacramento, Calif.
Kansas City (80-79) made the postseason last year for the first time since winning the 2015 World Series, but will be sitting out October baseball this time around. The Royals enter the final weekend as winners in consecutive series against the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels, but it was too little, too late for a club that has scored the fifth-fewest runs (635) in baseball this season.
Kansas City's pitching staff kept the team afloat for most of the season, including left-hander Noah Cameron (9-7, 2.90 ERA). He is slated to make his 24th and final start in the series opener for the Royals, looking to put a stamp on a stellar rookie campaign.
Cameron, 26, is 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA in four starts in September. In his most recent outing, he allowed just one run across 6 2/3 innings in a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
"He has a nice balance. He's very confident in himself, but it's not in a boastful way," Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said of Cameron. "He knows he has to continue to get better and has things to work on, but at the same time, he believes in himself and that goes a long way."
Cameron faced the A's on June 15, striking out seven and walking one over five scoreless innings in a no-decision. The Royals lost 3-2.
The Athletics (75-84) will miss the postseason for the fifth consecutive year, but have made great strides since losing 112 games two seasons ago. In the club's first season since leaving Oakland, the A's have posted their most wins and runs in a campaign since 2021, with probable American League Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz providing a big boost.
The 22-year-old strengthened his chances by belting his 34th and 35th home runs in an 11-5 loss to the Houston Astros on Thursday, becoming just the 12th rookie in MLB history with 35 or more home runs in a season.
"It's pretty remarkable what he's done and how gracefully he's done it," Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said of Kurtz. "He's a very humble person. We talked a lot about what I felt would be a leadership quality, even though he's young and just starting out, he can bring that to this club. I think we're seeing that."
Luis Morales (4-2, 3.07 ERA) will make his 10th appearance (ninth start) at the big league level since debuting on Aug. 1. He has yet to face the Royals.
The 23-year-old right-hander dazzled in his first month, posting a 2-0 record and a 1.19 ERA in five outings in August. Morales has since come back down to earth, surrendering 10 runs across his past 15 2/3 frames. Last time out, he permitted two runs in six innings in a 2-0 defeat against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Field Level Media
