Athletics' Vinny Nittoli: First loss despite solid outing

Nittoli (0-1) took the loss against the Royals on Thursday, allowing an earned run on a solo home run and recording two strikeouts over two innings.

Nittoli paid dearly for his one mistake, a tie-breaking solo home run surrendered to Bobby Witt in the eighth inning. The Athletics would prove incapable of erasing the one-run deficit in the final two frames, saddling Nittoli with his first major-league loss in 13 career outings. Despite the stumble Thursday, Nittoli has been a solid bullpen piece for manager Mark Kotsay since being summoned from Triple-A Las Vegas in early June, posting a 2.25 ERA across eight innings over seven appearances.