Sacramento A’s Nick Kurtz (left) dives into third base for a triple as the Miami Marlins third baseman Connor Norby (right) puts on the tag a little late at Loan Depot Park in Miami on Sun May 4, 2025 (AP News photo)

Athletics Edge Marlins with Late-Inning Heroics from Rookie and a Steady Sears

By Mauricio Segura

The green and gold keep finding new ways to win, and on Sunday, it came down to a clutch swing from a newcomer and ice-cold nerves from a bullpen looking to bounce back. Tyler Soderstrom’s ninth-inning RBI single broke a 2-2 tie, lifting the Sacramento Athletics to a 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park. The victory helped the Athletics close out the road trip 5-2 and keep pace in the AL West with their eighth win in 12 games.

Nick Kurtz, the A’s No. 1 prospect, kickstarted the decisive frame with a one-out triple, the first of his week-long career, before Soderstrom, pinch-hitting for Luis Urías, lined a go-ahead single to center to drive him in. Soderstrom also swiped second for good measure, flashing the kind of confident hustle that’s becoming his trademark.

That one run proved enough for right-hander Tyler Ferguson, who nailed down his first career save with a clean ninth, striking out Kyle Stowers to end it.

The A’s had taken an early 2-0 lead in the second inning on Gio Urshela’s two-run double, but the Marlins answered in the fourth when Dane Myers’ sharp double into right brought home two to even the score. It stayed gridlocked from there, as both bullpens traded scoreless innings until Soderstrom’s dagger in the ninth.

JP Sears continued his quietly dominant run as the A’s most reliable starter. The lefty tossed 5.2 innings of one-run ball, striking out four and walking none. Sears has now issued two walks or fewer in all seven of his starts and holds a 2.94 ERA. His control remains elite, only 1.60 walks per nine innings this season, and he’s yet to allow a first-inning run all year.

The Athletics’ defense backed Sears well, especially Jacob Wilson and Gio Urshela, who both made key plays on tough grounders. Offensively, Wilson collected two more hits and continues to thrive with runners on, now batting .400 in those situations. Meanwhile, Miguel Andujar extended his hot streak with another multi-hit game and a stolen base, pushing his average to .347 over his last 19 contests.

The bullpen was airtight. Mitch Spence followed Sears with 2.1 innings of one-hit ball before giving way to Ferguson. Together, they locked up Miami over the final 3.1 innings, a welcome sight after Saturday’s bullpen meltdown.

With the win, the Athletics improve to 19-16 and secure a second best spot in the AL West just half a game in front of 3rd place Houston and 2.5 games behind Seattle.

They return home Monday to face the first-place Seattle Mariners starting for the M’s Bryce Miller (2-3 ERA 3.52) with A’s starter Luis Severino (1-3 ERA 3.30) on the mound, looking to ride this momentum through the homestand.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.