Lawrence Butler Lifts A's to 5-2 Win Over Kansas City Royals

Three of the A's key pieces all stood out on Wednesday night against the Royals, but it was Lawrence Butler's big home run that send everyone home happy

Apr 29, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler (4) reacts after hitting a three-run home run against the Kansas City Royals in the fourth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Coming into Wednesday's game against the Kansas City Royals, Lawrence Butler needed a big hit. He entered the contest on a 3-for-19 skid, despite his advanced data actually out-performing the numbers he'd produced on the year.

With one swing of the bat in the bottom of the fourth, Butler brought his numbers a little closer to the expected stats with a three-run homer that put the A's up 4-1, and they never looked back. The blast was his third of the season, and his first since April 13 against the Texas Rangers.

Mark Kotsay talked about Butler's struggles before the game, saying, "All of his hard-hit contact is not resulting in hits early in the season. I do feel like his at-bats overall, if you look at the collection of at-bats, they're still good. They're solid."

Not long after those comments, Butler proved his manager correct.

Lawrence Butler with some authority 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/SQYmOQ7TIe

— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2026

Nick Kurtz ties Barry Bonds, chasing Ted Williams

Just days ago he set the A's franchise mark with his 16th straight game with a free pass, surpassing franchise legend Rickey Henderson in the process. Now he has some other legends in front of him.

Only two batters after Butler hit the go-ahead home run, first baseman Nick Kurtz collected a walk in his 18th straight game, becoming just the fourth player to reach that total since 1900.

The other names on the list are Barry Bonds (18 walks) in 2002, Ted Williams (19 walks) in 1941 and Roy Cullenbine (22 walks) in 1947.

In the bottom of the sixth Kurtz set out to make sure people don't forget he can also mash, and clubbed an RBI double to the wall in right, scoring Darell Hernaiz from first and giving the A's a 5-1 lead. The Royals would add one in the top of the ninth for a final of 5-2.

Luis Severino shines in Sacramento

Apr 29, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics pitcher Luis Severino (40) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Not to be outdone, Luis Severino had a huge start himself on Wednesday, going 7 innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 earned run, walking 2 and striking out 8. This is his best start at Sutter Health Park since signing with the A's, and combined both length and effectiveness — two traits the A's need out of him to have success as a club this year.

The only other start he's had at home the past two years that would come close would be the final start he made in 2025 against the Houston Astros. He went into that one fired up, and completely dominated the Houston lineup across 6 1/3 scoreless innings of work. He gave up 3 hits, walked 1 and struck out 5 in that one.