Nick Kurtz, Carlos Cortes and Tyler Soderstrom each hit solo homers in the first inning as the Athletics opened a three-game series against the Texas Rangers with an 8-1 victory on Friday in Arlington.
Cortes also hit a three-run homer and Zack Gelof slugged a two-run shot among his two hits for the Athletics, who have won three of their last four games. Jeff McNeil went 2-for-4, and Kurtz also singled, walked and scored two runs.
Luis Severino (1-2) allowed one run on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.
Josh Jung doubled in a run and Corey Seager and Josh Smith had two hits apiece for Texas, which entered the game tied with the Athletics for first place in the AL West standings.
The Athletics jumped on Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (2-4) for three runs in the first inning on seven pitches. Kurtz deposited Eovaldi’s first offering of the game into the right-field seats for his fifth homer of the season.
Shea Langeliers grounded out before Cortes turned on a 2-0 splitter for a 390-foot homer to right-center field. Soderstrom followed by sending Eovaldi’s first pitch over the center-field wall for his third homer this season.
Texas got on the board with a run in the fourth. Seager doubled with one out and scored on Jung’s two-out, ground-rule double.
Eovaldi settled in and retired 11 straight batters before allowing Gelof’s one-out single in the fifth. Kurtz walked on five pitches and Langeliers popped out before Cortes crushed a three-run homer to right field.
Cortes’ 409-foot blast was his third homer in his last four games and fourth of the season.
Eovaldi gave up six runs on six hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out three.
After allowing a total of 10 home runs in 22 starts last season, Eovaldi has yielded nine across his first six outings this season.
The Athletics extended their lead with two outs in the ninth on Gelof’s two-run homer against Cal Quantrill. The 375-foot liner was Gelof’s first homer since Sept. 1, 2025.
–Field Level Media
