Manager Matt Quatraro pushes right buttons as Kansas City Royals finish sweep of A’s
The Royals defeated the A’s 8-4 on Sunday, finishing a three-game sweep at Kauffman Stadium. Although he had just one at-bat, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino led the way with three RBIs as the Royals moved 10 games above .500 at 29-19.
Pasquantino wasn’t in the starting lineup, but with the Royals holding a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, he was called upon to pinch-hit with one out and the bases loaded. Pasquantino delivered his first career triple, a liner down the first-base line as the Royals broke the game open.
On Saturday, Royals manager Matt Quatraro told Pasquantino to button it.
That wasn’t a command to keep quiet. Quatraro thought Pasquantino didn’t need to keep the top two buttons on his jersey unbuttoned.
“I’m no fashion icon, I kind of know that for sure,” Quatraro quipped before Sunday’s game. “But when you look like that, you need somebody to say something to you.”
Pasquantino heeded his manager’s opinion mid-game on Saturday and had just one button undone. He then delivered an RBI single that snapped a zero-for-14 skid. Then came Sunday’s three-run triple. Pasquantino is now hitting .667 with the buttoned-up look.
“I mean, he looked bad,” Quatraro said with a smile, ”and so he needed to be called out, but the other part is, you know, there’s some sort of balance too. We know he’s been struggling, right? And (we’re) keeping it light.”
Starting pitcher Brady Singer struck out nine over six innings. He allowed one run on six hits and his ERA fell to 2.70 on the season.
Singer got 11 swings and misses from the A’s batters and bounced back from allowing four runs in five innings last week against the Mariners in Seattle.
What’s next: The Royals open a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Monday at Kauffman Stadium. Michael Wacha will start for the Royals. The Tigers haven’t announced a starter.
