One night after becoming the first rookie to produce a four-homer game as part of a historic 6-for-6 performance, Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz finished 2-for-4 with a walk in a 5-1 win Saturday over the host Houston Astros.
Kurtz will seek to continue his hot streak on Sunday afternoon as the A’s pursue a four-game sweep of the Astros.
On Friday, Kurtz not only became the 20th major league player to hit four home runs in a game, he also matched the major league record of 19 total bases. Kurtz, who made his big league debut on April 23, is batting .309 for the season, with 23 homers and 59 RBIs in 243 at-bats over 67 games.
Despite his impressive results, Kurtz — the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft out of Wake Forest — is facing uncharted waters.
“This kid is 22 years old,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “I don’t know if he’s reached the physicality that you get when you’re 27. I don’t know what else he can add on.
“Nick’s going through it a little bit right now. The wear and tear, the legs are heavy. The day in, day out, 13 (games) in a row that we’re towards the end of, it takes its toll. All of these guys on this roster that haven’t played a full season are feeling that. And we’ve still got a long way to go.”
Rookie right-hander J.T. Ginn (1-2, 4.50 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Athletics on Sunday.
Ginn allowed one run on five hits and one walk with two strikeouts over five innings against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. He did not factor into the decision of a 6-2 loss, however.
His previous seven outings before that start were in relief, and as a reliever, Ginn has a 4.11 ERA without recording a decision. He has a 4.76 ERA in five starts.
Ginn has made two career relief appearances against the Astros and has a 3.86 ERA with two runs, three hits and one walk allowed with five strikeouts across 4 2/3 innings.
Rookie left-hander Colton Gordon (4-2, 4.53 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Astros. He is 1-1 with a 5.82 ERA over his last four appearances and three starts, with more earned runs allowed (11) than strikeouts (10) across 17 innings. Gordon was 3-0 with a 2.14 ERA in four starts last month, producing 18 strikeouts against only two walks in 21 innings.
Gordon did not factor into the decision of a 6-4, 10-inning road loss against the Athletics on June 19 after he allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts over five innings.
In something of a statistical oddity, the Astros have allowed opponents to score first in 17 consecutive games, going 7-10 in those contests. Houston has won six of those games on the road, but the team’s struggles at home have been magnified during the streak.
With the loss to the Athletics on Saturday, the Astros have dropped eight of their last nine games at home.
“We’re a really good team coming from behind,” said Houston manager Joe Espada, whose Astros have 30 come-from-behind wins this season. “It’s just a matter of not letting that be a conversation. We’ve just got to continue to grind at-bats and continue to stay in games.
“I don’t like when that becomes a conversation or a narrative. We need to tag along some good at-bats and just get a big hit, and we should be fine.”
–Field Level Media
