Aaron Civale tossed 5 2/3 solid innings and combined with four relievers on a four-hitter Sunday for the red-hot Athletics, who completed a three-game sweep of the New York Mets with a 1-0 victory.
Nick Kurtz homered in the third for the Athletics, who won the final five games of a six-game road trip to New York against the Yankees and Mets.
The homer was the first this year for Kurtz, who had 36 round-trippers last season on his way to earning unanimous American League Rookie of the Year honors.
Shea Langeliers, Carlos Cortes and Jeff McNeil had the Athletics’ other hits.
Francisco Lindor recorded a pair of singles for the Mets, who lost the last five games of their six-game homestand. The skid was preceded by a four-game winning streak in which New York outscored the opposition 28-8.
Civale (2-0) gave up four hits and walked none while striking out three in his first scoreless start since last Aug. 2, when he threw 6 1/3 innings for the Chicago White Sox in a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Civale retired 13 straight after allowing a pair of singles in the first. Lindor was thrown out trying to steal second as Jorge Polanco struck out before Jared Young was stranded when Civale began his streak by whiffing Bo Bichette.
Luis Torrens ended Civale’s streak with a single leading off the sixth. Lindor singled one out later, but Civale got Polanco to hit into a forceout before Hogan Harris got pinch-hitter Mark Vientos to fly out to right.
Harris, Scott Barlow, Elvis Alvarado and Joel Kuhnel held the Mets without a hit over the final 3 1/3 innings. Kuhnel notched his second save with a 1-2-3 ninth on just four pitches.
Freddy Peralta (1-1) took the hard-luck loss for the Mets after allowing the one run on four hits and three walks while striking out six over six innings.
–Field Level Media
