Nick Kurtz changed the game with one swing Wednesday night. He hit a fifth-inning grand slam, Henry Bolte went 2-for-2 in his big-league debut, and the Athletics beat the Cardinals 6-2 at Sutter Health Park. The win moved the A’s to 22-20 and evened the series.
The swing
St. Louis scored first in the fourth on Nathan Church’s RBI single.
Then the A’s answered in the fifth. Darell Hernaiz singled, Michael Stefanic singled, and Shea Langeliers walked to load the bases.
Kurtz followed with a grand slam to center off Matthew Liberatore. As a result, a 1-0 deficit became a 4-1 lead.
It was Kurtz’s sixth homer of the season and the third grand slam for last’s AL Rookie of the Year.
Bolte arrives
Bolte made his debut after tearing up the PCL with Las Vegas, and he looked ready.
He singled in the second for his first major league hit. Then he added another single in the fourth and walked in the fifth.
Bolte also drove in his first run in the seventh with a sacrifice fly that scored Kurtz. Plus, he made a diving catch in center field in the sixth to rob Nolan Gorman.
Ginn battles through traffic
J.T. Ginn allowed traffic all night, but he kept the Cardinals from cashing in.
Ginn scattered nine hits across six innings and allowed one unearned run. He walked one, struck out three and earned his second win of the season.
St. Louis went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base.
Insurance late
The Cardinals cut the lead to 4-2 in the seventh on Iván Herrera’s sacrifice fly.
However, the A’s answered again. Bolte’s sacrifice fly made it 5-2 in the seventh, then Zack Gelof homered in the eighth for the final run.
Kurtz finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Hernaiz went 3-for-4, while Stefanic added two hits. Colby Thomas also had two hits before Lawrence Butler replaced him defensively.
Up next
The rubber match is Thursday at Sutter Health Park.
Jacob Lopez is scheduled to start for the A’s. He enters 3-2 with a 6.11 ERA and 28 strikeouts. St. Louis is set to counter with Michael McGreevy, who is 3-2 with a 2.18 ERA and 33 strikeouts.
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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.
