Nick Kurtz continued his power show with a two-run homer and Jeffrey Springs pitched 7 1/3 strong innings to lead the Athletics to a 5-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
Lawrence Butler had three hits and an RBI and Jacob Wilson and Luis Urias added run-scoring singles for the Athletics, who won for the sixth time in the past eight games.
Kurtz has homered in five of the last six games. He hit two-walk off blasts in a four-game series against the Houston Astros and hit a winning homer in the ninth inning against the host Kansas City Royals last Sunday.
Angel Martinez homered for the Guardians, who lost for the 10th time in the past 14 games. Cleveland is 2-5 on a nine-game road trip and has scored just 14 runs during the excursion.
Springs (6-5) gave up three hits and departed after serving up the solo homer to Martinez. He struck out six and walked one.
Michael Kelly allowed a double to Steven Kwan while getting the final two outs of the eighth and Mason Miller worked around a walk in the ninth in a non-save situation.
Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee (4-7) gave up five runs (four earned) and 11 hits in his first career complete-game effort. He struck out a season-high 10 without allowing a walk.
Brent Rooker stroked a two-out single in the first before Kurtz jumped on Bibee’s 0-1 sinker and sent it flying over the left-center fence to give the Athletics a 2-0 lead. Kurtz has nine homers in his past 15 appearances.
Two errors by Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez set up the A’s for a second-inning run.
Tyler Soderstrom started the frame with an infield hit before Urias reached when Ramirez booted his grounder.
Austin Wynns bunted and the ball stopped in fair territory to the left of the plate. Catcher Austin Hedges fired to third and the ball beat Soderstrom but Ramirez was unable to find the base with his foot.
One out later, Butler singled to right to score Soderstrom.
The Athletics tacked on a run with two outs in the seventh. Denzel Clarke reached on an infield hit and Butler followed with a single before Wilson hit a run-scoring single to left that easily scored Clarke to make it 4-0.
After Martinez’s blast in the top of the eighth, the Athletics answered with two outs in the home frame as Soderstrom singled, stole second and scored on Urias’ single to center.
–Field Level Media
