Nick Kurtz flipped the game with one swing, and Aaron Civale kept stacking wins.
Kurtz hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning, Civale earned his fifth win, and the Athletics beat the Giants 5-2 on Friday at Sutter Health Park. The win moved the A’s to 23-21 and gave them the opener of the three-game series against their former Bay Area rival. Kurtz homered for the third straight game with his fifth-inning blast, his eighth of the season.
The fifth did it
The A’s struck first in the second inning. Zack Gelof walked, Darell Hernaiz singled, and Jeff McNeil doubled to right to score Gelof.
However, San Francisco answered with solo homers in back-to-back innings. Luis Arraez tied it in the fourth, and Harrison Bader put the Giants ahead 2-1 in the fifth.
Then the A’s responded right away. Lawrence Butler singled, Hernaiz moved him over with a sacrifice bunt, and McNeil singled to put runners on the corners.
Kurtz followed with his eighth homer of the season, a 417-foot shot to center. As a result, the A’s jumped back ahead 4-2.
Civale keeps climbing
Civale worked five innings and allowed two runs on six hits.
He walked one, struck out two and improved to 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA. That win total has him among the early league leaders, and his 1.9 WAR also reflects how steady his first two months have been.
The Giants had chances, but Civale kept the damage limited. San Francisco finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.
Bolte keeps hitting
Henry Bolte kept making noise after his call-up.
Bolte went 2-for-4 and drove in a run with a fifth-inning single that scored Shea Langeliers. He is hitting .500 since joining the A’s.
McNeil also had a strong night, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Kurtz drove in three, while Tyler Soderstrom added his 13th double.
Bullpen shuts it down
The bullpen handled the final four innings without allowing a run.
Joel Kuhnel, José Suarez, Luis Medina and Hogan Harris combined to strand every push San Francisco made. Harris worked the ninth for his third save.
Notably, the Giants had two on in the seventh with one out. Suarez struck out Matt Chapman, then retired Rafael Devers to end the threat.
Up next
The series continues Saturday at Sutter Health Park.
Luis Severino is scheduled to start for the A’s. He enters 2-4 with a 4.07 ERA and 47 strikeouts. San Francisco is set to counter with right-hander Mason McDonald, who is 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA and 12 strikeouts.
Related stories
Welcome to Dice City Sports — where we provide premium, exclusive, up-to-date news and analysis surrounding the Las Vegas sports scene. Follow along on social media, and check back for new articles daily!
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.
