Nick Kurtz is not giving the league a sophomore slump. He is giving the Athletics another reason to believe this climb is real.
Kurtz homered twice, drove in five runs and powered the A’s to an 11-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday at Sutter Health Park. The victory moved the Athletics back to .500 at 36-36, putting them a half-game behind idle Seattle in the AL West.
No slump here
The A’s wasted a bases-loaded chance in the first, but they did not stay quiet long.
Henry Bolte doubled with one out in the second. Then Jeff McNeil singled him home to give the Athletics a 1-0 lead.
Soon after, Kurtz delivered the first big swing. He drove a two-run homer to left-center off Jared Jones, pushing the lead to 3-0.
It was Kurtz’s 17th homer of the season. However, he was not done.
Ginn keeps it steady
J.T. Ginn gave the Athletics the kind of start they needed after Sunday’s 23-run mess in Las Vegas.
Ginn worked six innings, allowing one unearned run on six hits. He walked two, struck out three and used a double play in the fourth to stop Pittsburgh’s best early threat.
The Pirates scored in that inning after Zack Gelof’s fielding error helped put Nick Gonzales aboard. But Ginn got Esmerlyn Valdez to ground into a pitcher-to-second-to-first double play, keeping the A’s ahead 3-1.
Then the offense widened the gap.
McNeil and Kurtz break it open
Lawrence Butler singled to open the fourth. After that, McNeil hit a two-run homer to right, his third of the season, giving the Athletics a 5-1 lead.
In the fifth, Tyler Soderstrom singled and Jacob Wilson doubled. Gelof followed with an RBI single, making it 6-1, and extending his hitting streak to 19-games.
Then the seventh turned the game into a rout. Gelof reached on an error, Butler doubled him home and Bolte singled.
McNeil added another RBI single. Next, Kurtz crushed a three-run homer to left, his second of the night and 18th of the season.
That swing made it 11-1. It also gave Kurtz 57 RBIs.
Numbers that mattered
The Athletics finished with 11 runs, 15 hits and one error. Pittsburgh had two runs, eight hits and one error.
Kurtz went 3-for-4 with two homers, five RBIs, two runs and a walk. McNeil went 3-for-4 with a homer, four RBIs and three runs.
Also, Butler went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Bolte added two hits and scored twice.
Notably, the A’s went 7-for-13 with runners in scoring position. That was the kind of situational hitting that turns a good offensive night into a blowout.
Justin Sterner threw a scoreless seventh. Mason Barnett handled the final two innings, allowing one run while finishing the win.
Up next
The Athletics continue the series against the Pirates on Tuesday at Sutter Health Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PDT.
Jack Perkins is scheduled to start for the A’s. The right-hander enters at 2-3 with a 6.25 ERA and 43 strikeouts.
Pittsburgh is scheduled to counter with right-hander Mitch Keller, who enters at 5-4 with a 5.14 ERA and 58 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.
