Royals extend winning streak to five games with 6-2 victory vs. A's

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Aug 20, 2026

Published in Baseball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals have put together a strong week.

After a disappointing West Coast swing in Los Angeles, the club rebounded with a four-game sweep of the Athletics.

And while it wasn’t the cleanest game, the Royals earned a 6-2 victory on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium, extending their winning streak to five games.

KC pounded out 12 hits against the Athletics. In the first inning, Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. belted a solo home run — his 16th of the season. And later, Issac Collins added a two-run single in the third frame.

The Royals (55-74) continued to add on throughout the afternoon. Meanwhile, Royals captain Salvador Perez provided a major offensive lift with three singles. He joined a collection of Royals with RBIs in the game including Nick Loftin and Michael Massey.

And the club has outscored opponents 31-17 in their last five games. A big reason has been their starting pitching as well.

Royals veteran Randy Dobnak started on Thursday. He tossed four scoreless innings despite not having his most efficient command. Dobnak allowed six hits while registering four walks and four strikeouts.

The A’s (49-79) made him work on the mound. Dobnak relied on his defense to avoid major trouble, but he exhausted 70 pitches through three innings. Two key double plays helped him escape damage in both the first and fourth innings.

He also struck out A’s catcher Brian Serven to end the third inning. The punchout stranded two runners — Max Muncy and Carlos Cortes — on the bases.

Dobnak didn’t qualify for the win. However, he now sports a 1.58 ERA in nine games (seven starts) for the Royals.

The A’s scored both of their runs in the fifth inning. The club took advantage of Royals reliever Carlos Duran’s inability to find the strike zone. Duran, who made his club debut this week, walked three of the five batters he faced.

Serven had an RBI single in the frame. And later, Donovan Walton added an RBI groundout as the A’s cut into the deficit.

Still, the Royals managed to keep their lead. Massey added an RBI double to regain one of the runs surrendered. And in August, Massey has hit safely in 12 of 16 games.

Massey joined Perez with three hits on Thursday. In total, the Royals had seven of their nine starters record a hit in the game.

The Royals matched their longest winning streak this season. Additionally, the club also secured a winning homestand with three games ahead of a series against the Detroit Tigers this weekend.

The A’s have lost 37 of their last 46 games dating back to June 27.

What’s next?

Royals left-hander Noah Cameron (7-8, 4.16 ERA) will start on Friday night against Detroit Tigers righty Troy Melton (7-1, 1.71 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. Central.