Sweeney Lifts Royals

By Conor Nicholl / Special to MLB.com KANSAS CITY -- Mike Sweeney had been working with hitting coach Mike Barnett on staying behind the ball and letting his hands do the work. The first two at-bats during Wednesdays game against Oakland didnt yield a good approach or satisfying results, but he collected a single in his third appearance. "Something clicked," he said. Sweeney carried the changes into the eighth inning, ripping a 0-1 fastball 402 feet over the left-center fence at Kauffman Stadium for a game-winning homer off Justin Duchscherer. The blast gave the Royals a 3-2 win over the Athletics and ended a four-game losing streak, their longest home skid this season. "Everyone knows we needed that lift, and it was a thrill to be able to provide it," Sweeney said. "Lord knows we needed one." The homer provided Jimmy Gobble a victory and helped support a pitching staff that saw a quality start from Gil Meche and three shutout innings from David Riske, Gobble and Joakim Soria. The Royals defense also did its part, contributing several great defensive plays, including an outfield assist from Mark Teahen. "Sweeney came up big for us," Meche said. The homer also helped erase several offensive problems early in the game, including leaving multiple runners in scoring position with less than two outs. "We had left a lot there tonight and did some things fundamentally wrong that will get better when these young kids develop," manager Buddy Bell said. One possibly deflating play occurred right before Sweeneys homer. Teahen smacked a ball off the right-center wall, but was thrown out at third base trying to stretch it to a triple. "I have no problem with him getting to third," Bell said. "We have had problems scoring runs. I would like to play that way, but you have to stay under control. In Marks case, they made a great throw and a great relay." But Sweeney saved the team with his homer and provided another boost to his average and his teams record. After starting slowly this season, Sweeney has a seven game hitting streak. His average now rests at a respectable .270 while the Royals improve to 11-23. "It felt nice, but this all about our team," Sweeney said. "If I hit that homer and we are down 8-2, it doesnt mean a thing, but for me, it is about this team and it is about winning." The homer broke a tie for second place on the Royals all-time career list. The blast was Sweeneys 194th as a Royal (and his career) and moved him past Amos Otis and behind only the Hall of Famer George Brett. "It means a lot," Sweeney said. "George Brett is Mr. Royal and he will always be Mr. Royal. I am still a long way from him. I dont foresee me every going after Georges records. He is going to Mr. Kansas City forever, but it is an honor to be at the top of that list with George. "I think what will be sweet is driving through Kansas City 10-15 years from now and letting my boys flip through the record book and see his daddy. That will be a highlight for me." Wednesday also featured several other Royals highlights, including another terrific performance from Meche. "I thought Gil had the best stuff he has had all year," Bell said. The $55 million-dollar ace continues to pitch like a potential All-Star, tossing his sixth straight quality start and seventh of the season. In his last six starts, Meche has allowed six earned runs for a 1.39 ERA. On Wednesday, Meche worked into several deep counts, but only buckled once: a two-run homer from Dan Johnson in the fourth inning after a dropped foul pop fly from Alex Gordon resulted in a walk. "Everything was sharp," Meche said of his start. "Even though my fastball was up in the zone, I still felt real good with it. I made some good pitches when I needed to. My curveball and my command was a lot sharper that it has been. My cutter was really good tonight and I had some [strikeouts] with some changeups, too." The game remained tied at 2 entering the seventh. With Riske pitching and runners on second and third, Mark Ellis hit a foul pop down the first base line. Teahen made the catch and threw a perfect strike to John Buck at the plate. Buck dropped the ball, but recovered and made the play. "The ball took a weird skip on me and hit my chest and dropped straight down," Buck said. "I picked it up and tagged the guy." And Sweeney did the rest an inning later, breaking the stalemate and giving the Royals their first win since May 3.