Soto to catch Lester for Athletics vs Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Athletics ace Jon Lester will have Geovany Soto behind the plate for the first time when he takes the mound in Tuesday night's AL wild-card game against the Kansas City Royals.

A's manager Bob Melvin opted for Soto at catcher over Derek Norris, who has worked well with Lester down the stretch. The reason was simple: Soto is better at managing runners, and the Royals led the majors with 153 stolen bases.

Brandon Moss was the Athletics' designated hitter, which means Adam Dunn would probably have to pinch hit to appear in his first postseason game.

The Royals went with the lineup they've been using the past few weeks, with speedsters Alcides Escobar, Nori Aoki and Lorenzo Cain at the top of the order.