WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Lawrence Butler hit a three-run home run, Luis Severino gave up one run and struck out eight in seven innings, and the Athletics beat Kansas City 5-2 on Wednesday night to snap the Royals' four-game win streak.
Nick Kurtz hit an RBI double and walked, his 18th consecutive game with a walk, extending his franchise record and tying him with Barry Bonds for the longest such single-season streak in nearly 80 years. Bonds walked in each of his final 18 games in 2002.
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Athletics pitcher Mark Leiter Jr., left, and catcher Shea Langeliers celebrate the Athletics win over the Kansas City Royals in a baseball game Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
Athletics' Lawrence Butler watches his three run home during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen, left, attempts to tags out Athletics' Nick Kurtz, right, at home plate for the final out of the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
Athletics' Lawrence Butler watches his three run home during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
Detroit’s Roy Cullenbine set the record when he drew a base on balls in 22 straight games in 1947 — the last of his 10 MLB seasons. Boston’s Ted Williams had a 19-game walk streak in 1941.
Severino (2-2) gave up four hits and walked two and now has a career 6-1 record against the Royals.
Mark Leiter Jr. got the final out for his third save.
Kansas City starter Michael Wacha (2-2) allowed four runs on eight hits and walked four in five innings.
Bobby Witt Jr. went 2 for 4, scored both of Kansas City's runs and extended his hit streak to 10 games. Salvador Perez had an RBI forceout in the first inning and Michael Massey had sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Carlos Cortes went 2 for 3 with a walk, extended his hit streak to nine games and is hitting .400 this season. Jacob Wilson and Jeff McNeil added two hits apiece for the Athletics.
Butler's 404-foot shot in the fourth gave the Athletics a 4-1 lead.
Kurtz appeared to beat right fielder Lane Thomas' throw home on a single by Cortes. The play was challenged and, after review, Kurtz was ruled out to end the fourth inning.
Wilson hit a leadoff double the second and scored when McNeil followed with a double to make it 1-1.
Kansas City's Noah Cameron (2-1, 5.13 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday against Jeffrey Springs (3-2, 3.79) in the second of a three-game set.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Athletics pitcher Mark Leiter Jr., left, and catcher Shea Langeliers celebrate the Athletics win over the Kansas City Royals in a baseball game Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
Athletics' Lawrence Butler watches his three run home during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen, left, attempts to tags out Athletics' Nick Kurtz, right, at home plate for the final out of the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
Athletics' Lawrence Butler watches his three run home during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Alexandre Texier broke a tie 1:06 into the third period and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.
Rookie Jakub Dobes stopped 38 shots to help Montreal move within a victory of advancing for the first time since losing to the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021.
Brendan Gallagher got his first goal in his first game this series and Kirby Dach also scored for the Canadiens.
“It's obviously exciting,” said Gallagher, who was a healthy scratch the first four games. “It's been a fun series to watch. I tried to follow their lead and find a way to contribute and I did that.”
Game 6 is Friday night in Montreal, where the teams split Games 3 and 4. All five games have been decided by one goal, including overtime in the first three.
Dominic James scored his first career playoff goal and Jake Guentzel also connected for the Lightning. They are one loss from being eliminated in the first round for the fourth straight season.
Tampa Bay has lost 10 of its last 12 home games in the postseason despite 460 consecutive sellouts.
“We got no choice now. We got to show up or we're out,” Lightning forward Brayden Point said.
Texier took a long pass from Lane Hutson, skated into the left circle and ripped a shot that bounced off Andrei Vasilevskiy’s glove and into the net for a 3-2 lead early in the third.
“I'm not a 50-goal scorer,” Texier said. “When I have a chance, I just try to put it on net and sometimes you're lucky it's in and sometimes not.”
The Canadiens jumped ahead three minutes into the game when Gallagher wristed in a rebound after Vasilevskiy kicked away Alex Newhook’s backhander. Gallagher, the 14-year veteran, spent time the first four games giving the young players advice.
“I was happy for him and happy for us,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said about Gallagher. “Really happy the way he's handled everything and not surprised the way he played.”
Seconds after James blasted a slap shot past Dobes on a 2-on-1 breakaway, the Canadiens regained the lead. Dach skated down the left side, went around a defender, lost the puck, kicked it from his skate to his stick in front of the net and put it in.
Dach deactivated his Instagram account after receiving online criticism because his defensive lapse led to the winning goal in overtime in Game 2. He had a goal and an assist in Montreal’s 3-2 overtime win the next game.
Guentzel fired a slap shot between Dobes’ legs on another 2-on-1 breakaway to tie it at 2 late in the second. Guentzel has the best playoff goal-scoring ratio among American-born players in NHL history with 43 goals in 79 games.
The Lightning killed off a four-minute disadvantage after Ryan McDonagh’s double minor for high-sticking in the first period. The Canadiens managed just one shot on net during the power play.
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Tampa Bay Lightning center Dominic James (17) watches his shot get past Montréal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) for a goal during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Montréal Canadiens center Kirby Dach (77) plays a loose puck in front of Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27) beats Montréal Canadiens center Phillip Danault (24) to a loose puck during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Montréal Canadiens center Kirby Dach (77) celebrates with the bench after his goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Montréal Canadiens players celebrate their win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
