MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

If you’re an Athletics baseball fan, you got to love a series that starts like the one that began in Arlington on Friday night. Nick Kurtz hit the first pitch of the game 417 feet, for a 1-0 lead. At 115.9 mph off the bat, it’s not much of a surprise that Kurtz leads baseball in exit velocity, at (98.7).

It was payback against Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi (2-4, 5.79), for the 7-inning 3-hit masterpiece in West Sacramento earlier this month. Five pitches later, Carlos Cortes continued his hot series and hit his third home run of the season.

Tyler Soderstrom deposited the next pitch 415 feet into the dead center field stands, and upped the lead to 3-0 in only seven pitches, setting an Athletics franchise mark. They have never had three home runs in the first inning on the road until Friday night’s game.

Meanwhile, Athletics starter Luis Severino (1-2, 5.17) had an outstanding day allowing just one earned run in 6 2/3 innings. The only blemish came in the fourth inning when, after a Corey Seager double, Josh Jung hit an RBI-double and Texas avoided the shutout.

In the fifth inning, after Zack Gelof had a one-out single and Kurtz walked, Cortes hit his second home run of the contest to blow the game open, 6-1.

The A’s “piled-on” in the ninth, when Jeff McNeil led off with a single, and Gelof hit a two-run homer, for the A’s to finish with five bombs on the night.

Saturday, the A’s grabbed an early lead again, this time in the second inning, when Jacob Wilson doubled and backup third baseman Darryl Hernaiz hit a 2-out RBI-single for a 1-0 lead.

They added to it in the third inning, when Shea Langeliers led off with a single and Kurtz walked. Colby Thomas hit his first pitch back in the majors for an RBI-single, and Wilson had an RBI sac-fly to increase the lead to 3-0.

A’s starter Jeffrey Springs had 1-2-3 innings in the first two innings, but got touched for two runs in the third inning when Springs hit Danny Jansen and Evan Carter walked. Brandon Nimmo hit a sac-fly and Seager singled to get the Rangers within 3-2.

Springs was touched up again in the sixth inning when Seager doubled, and Josh Jung homered to take the lead 4-3, the final score. Springs (3-2, 3.79) lasted six innings, had five hits and allowed four earned runs.

Athletics relievers Scott Barlow and Mark Leiter Jr both had easy 1-2-3 outings to close out the eighth and ninth innings.

In the finale, the A’s again started off fast and took advantage of two early walks to Soderstrom and Brent Rooker in the first inning. It was Rooker’s first at-bat since coming off the IL and the team has missed his muscle at DH.

Cortes then tripled, scoring both men, and scoring the only runs the team would have the rest of the game. Cortes had an amazing road trip against Seattle and Texas: 13-for-24 (.542), two doubles, a triple, three home runs, and seven RBIs.

A’s hitters put runners on in every inning but the seventh but failed to add on any “insurance” runs.

Starter JT Ginn allowed hits to the batters opening the first three innings yet held Texas scoreless for his entire outing. Ginn left after just 3 1/3 innings pitched, due to “arm-soreness”, and reliever Joel Kuhnel finished the fourth inning for Ginn. Jacob Lopez then finished the fifth but melted down in the sixth inning.

Lopez allowed a Josh Jung double and had a throwing error on the subsequent bunt that scored Jung and accounted for the final 2-1 score.

Justin Sterner (1-2, 3.07) bailed out Lopez by ending a bases loaded, no-outs situation with back-to-back strike outs and a line-out to win his first game of the season.

Hogan Harris handled the seventh inning while Jack Perkins handled a six out save, his first. Perkins may be a candidate to handle Ginn’s next start, if need be.

The A’s finished the road-trip 4-2, and return home to face:
Kansas City Royals @ Sutter Health Park 4/28 6:40pm PST