This is an 8* play on OAKLAND

The A's did not have a good weekend as they dropped both games to the Giants. But far worse than losing some Bay Area pride was the ground lost in the AL Wild Card race as they are now the "odd team out" as in the three-way race with the Rays and Indians (Red Sox also still lurking). Fortunately, Kansas City should make for a good "landing spot" here on Monday. While the Royals did win yesterday, prior to that they'd dropped eight of 10 and had been held to two runs or less in seven of those losses. Ex-Royal Homer Bailey will get the start for Oakland tonight and look for him to take full advantage of being on the "other side." Bailey has been far from dominant in this short stint with the A's, but does own a 0.98 WHIP his last three starts. The A's are actually a better offensive team on the road this year (at least in terms of runs scored per game) and should have little difficulty beating up on KC starter Keller who has a 9-18 team start record this season including 0-5 his last 5. He'll be limited (in terms of innings) moving forward, which isn't exactly a good thing in the short-term for the Royals their bullpen is quite lousy. One final thing to consider is the Royals have lost the last four times they've returned home from a road trip of seven or more days. Play on OAKLAND

AAA