Lawrence Butler homered twice and Nick Kurtz belted his first career grand slam to lead the Athletics to a 10-1 trouncing of the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
Brent Rooker and Max Muncy also went deep as the Athletics rolled up nine runs over the first two innings. Butler scored three times and led off the bottom of the first with an inside-the-park-homer.
Eli White homered for the Braves, who have lost five straight games and 10 of their past 12. Atlanta is a season-worst 12 games below .500.
Braves All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr. (lower-back) was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup less than an hour before first pitch.
The Athletics lost an All-Star in the bottom of the first when Jacob Wilson was hit by a pitch and exited with a left hand contusion.
Jeffrey Springs (7-6) gave up one run and six hits over six innings for the Athletics. He struck out two and walked one.
The Athletics hit three homers off Didier Fuentes (0-3) in a five-run first inning and Kurtz smacked his slam in the second off Jesse Chavez.
Butler led off the bottom of the first with a shot to right-center that hit high off the wall and caromed back toward right. Butler never stopped running and easily circled the bases to become the franchise’s first player to hit a leadoff inside-the-park homer since Elmer Valo on June 25, 1943 for the Philadelphia A’s.
Fuentes then hit Wilson on the hand and Rooker followed with a two-run homer to make it 3-0. Kurtz walked and Fuentes retired the next two batters before Muncy slugged a two-run homer.
Fuentes continued to struggle in the second as Denzel Clarke singled, Butler walked and Max Schuemann singled to load the bases.
Chavez entered and struck out Rooker before Kurtz hammered a ball over the fence in right center. Three of those runs were changed to Fuentes.
The lead grew to 10-0 in the third when Butler hit a two-out homer to center off Chavez.
White led off the fifth with a 452-foot blast for Atlanta’s lone tally.
Fuentes was charged with eight runs and five hits in one-plus innings.
–Field Level Media
