Nick Kurtz gave the Athletics the swing they needed, and the bullpen made it stand up.
Kurtz drove in two runs, Jacob Lopez earned his third win, and the A’s held off the Orioles 4-3 on Friday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The win moved the Athletics to 20-18.
Kurtz flips it
Baltimore struck first in the fourth when Pete Alonso hit a solo homer off Lopez.
However, the Athletics answered in the fifth. Jacob Wilson and Lawrence Butler opened the inning with singles, then Zack Gelof tied it with an RBI single to left.
After Jeff McNeil moved both runners over, Kurtz drove a two-run triple into right field. As a result, the A’s turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead.
Lopez holds steady
Lopez worked 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on three hits.
He walked two and struck out five, including three over the first two innings. Lopez also escaped a first-inning jam after Baltimore put runners on the corners with one out.
Adley Rutschman cut the lead to 3-2 with a solo homer in the sixth. Then Justin Sterner came in and retired the next two hitters to end the inning.
One more run mattered
The A’s added insurance in the eighth, and they needed it.
Shea Langeliers singled, and Tyler Soderstrom reached on a forceout. Brent Rooker followed with a single before Wilson drove in Soderstrom with a two-out hit to right.
That made it 4-2.
Bullpen bends, holds
The A’s bullpen allowed one run over 3 2/3 innings.
Sterner, Scott Barlow and Joel Kuhnel combined for 2 2/3 scoreless frames before Jack Perkins opened the ninth. Rutschman walked, then Samuel Basallo singled him home with two outs.
Hogan Harris entered with two on and the lead down to one. He walked Leody Taveras, but struck out Jeremiah Jackson on a foul tip to earn his second save.
Numbers that mattered
Kurtz went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and his first triple of the season. Wilson went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.
Gelof added a hit, an RBI and a walk. Meanwhile, the A’s went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Baltimore was held to four hits.
Up next
The Athletics continue the series Saturday in Baltimore.
Aaron Civale is scheduled to start against Orioles right-hander Shane Baz.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
