Nick Kurtz drilled a two-run homer to center field with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Athletics a 6-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Thursday night in West Sacramento, Calif.
It was Kurtz’s second two-run, game-winning blast in the four-game series. He slammed a victorious homer in the ninth inning on Monday. Kurtz has three game-winning long balls in the past five games – he also hit a tiebreaking ninth-inning homer against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.
Willie MacIver, Lawrence Butler and Jacob Wilson also homered for the Athletics, who split the set with the Astros.
Houston’s Victor Caratini hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning to tie it, but the Astros fell for just the second time in the past nine games.
Tyler Soderstrom started the 10th on second base and moved to third on a wild pitch by Josh Hader (4-1). After Max Muncy struck out, Kurtz feasted on a 2-1 sinker from Hader and sent it 416 feet over the fence.
Michael Kelly (1-0) pitched a scoreless top of the 10th for the Athletics.
Jacob Lopez of the A’s struck out a career-best nine for the third time in his last four outings. He allowed one run, four hits and three walks in six innings.
The A’s led 4-1 after J.T. Ginn retired the first two Astros in the eighth. He then walked Christian Walker and allowed a single to Jake Meyers.
The Athletics brought in closer Mason Miller and Caratini ripped his low fastball over the right-center fence to tie the score.
Houston’s Colton Gordon allowed three runs (two earned) and seven hits in five-plus innings. He struck out four and walked one.
MacIver and Butler each homered in the second inning off Gordon.
MacIver came up with one out and launched a 423-foot blast over the wall in center. Two batters later, Butler hit a 409-foot homer over the right-center fence.
Houston got on the board in the fifth as Meyers led off with a single, moved to third on Caratini’s one-out double and scored on Jeremy Pena’s infield out.
Some sloppy Houston defense gifted the Athletics a run in the bottom of the sixth.
Walker couldn’t find Muncy’s pop fly behind first base and it dropped in for a single. Gordon then fumbled a tapper by Kurtz for an error to put two on and end his outing.
One out later, MacIver hit a grounder to short and Kurtz was retired at second but Jose Altuve’s throw to first was high, allowing Muncy to score and give the A’s a 3-1 lead.
Wilson hit his blast with one out in the seventh, slamming a first-pitch slider from Steven Okert over the wall in left.
