Tag: Houston Astros

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Nick Kurtz to Win the American League Rookie of the Year Award 

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Sacramento A’s slugger Nick Kurtz rounds the bases after hitting one of his four home runs against the Houston Astros at Daiken Field in Houston on Jul 25, 2025 (AP News photo)

Nick Kurtz to Win the American League Rookie of the Year Award

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The 2025 American League Rookie of the Year will be officially announced this Monday, the 10th of November. It will be Nick Kurtz. It is a ‘fait accomply’ Nick Kurtz is the only MLB rookie in history to hit four home runs in a single game, achieving this feat on July 25, 2025, against the Houston Astros.

Had a marvelous rookie season. He hit .290, with 36 home runs and drove in 86 runs. The young first baseman for the A’s was one of just three players with at least 400 plate appearances and an OPS over 1,000, along with Silver Sluggers Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

Kurtz gave the A’s their second straight season with a Silver Slugger Award, after Brent Rooker won at DH in 2024. Before that, it was Eric Chávez in 2002. The potential for this 22-year-old, 6’5″, 240 lbs left-handed hitter is as high as the sky, as well as the odds for Nick to win the American League Rookie of the Year.

Kurtz’ chances of winning the Rookie of the Year are very close to 100% chance. I will say it is inevitable; there are no other rookies in 2025 in the American League with the impact of Kurtz. The largest salary given to an Athletics player is $67 million, for pitcher Luis Severino, a three-year deal in 2024.

In the case of Kurtz, A’s owner Mr. Fisher might need another loan to pay the star if Kurtz continues to be the player he seems to be. However, the good news for the A’s, Kurtz is projected to become a free agent after 2031, heading into age 29.

His contract with this A’s will not expire until then. He also received a $7 million signing bonus when he was drafted in 2024. His salary is part of his pre-arbitration contract with the Oakland Athletics. He also received a $7 million singing bonus.

Oakland Athletics to win the Rookie of the Year Award. José Canseco (1986), Mark McGwire (1987), Walt Weiss (1988), Ben Grieve (1992), Bobby Crosby (2004), Huston Street (2005), Andrew Bailey (2009)

Note: 21 players in Major League Baseball history have hit four home runs in a single game. Kurtz will join the group alongside some of the game’s luminaries, including these two: Lou Gehrig and Willie Mays.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com

MLB The Show podcast Bruce Macgowan: BoSox finally get in playoff in walk off clincher; Can Astros get the Wild Card wrapped up Sunday?

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The Boston Red Sox clubhouse was spraying the bubbly after defeating the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park in Boston on Fri Sep 26, 2025 to advance to the playoffs. (AP News photo)

MLB The Show podcast Bruce Magowan:

# 1 Did the Red Sox’s walk‑off clincher on Friday finally end their postseason drought?

#2 Can the Astros still salvage a wild‑card spot after their gut‑punch loss to the Angels?

#3 Will Shohei Ohtani’s jersey stay at No. 1 in MLB sales—for a 4th straight year?

#4 Is Aaron Judge being shortchanged in AL MVP debates?

#5 How many more teams will the Red Sox or Yankees displace in the AL wild‑card race today?”

Bruce Magowan filled in for Charlie O on MLB The Show podcasts heard each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento A’s podcast Lincoln Juarez: A’s open up 3 game set in final home series at Sutter Health

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The Houston Astros Carlos Correa swings for a double in the top of the seventh inning against the Sacramento A’s at Sutter Health Park on Thu Sep 25, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast with Lincoln Juarez:

#1 How did Framber Valdez’s pitching performance on Thursday compare to his recent outings — in terms of innings, strikeouts, and earned runs?

#2 Which offensive contributions (home runs, RBIs, multi-hit games) from Astros or A’s hitters had the biggest impact on the final 11–5 score?

#3 The Astros’ 11-5 win prevented a series sweep by the Athletics, and what was the series outcome?

#4 How did the result affect Houston’s position in the AL Wild Card race (especially vis‑à‑vis Detroit or Cleveland)?

#5 Talk about tonight’s starting pitchers for the Kansas City Royals LHP Noah Cameron (9-7 ERA 2.90) the A’s starter for tonight is RHP Mason Barnett (1-1 ERA 7.56) at Sutter Health Park.

Lincoln Juarez did the A’s podcasts during the 2025 season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

Sacramento A’s podcast Barbara Mason: A’s back in Sac close out final homestand against Astros and Royals

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Sacramento A’s starter Jeffery Springs will make the start against the Houston Astros on Tue Sep 23, 2025 at Sutter Health Field in West Sacramento (AP file photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Barbara Mason:

#1 The Sacramento A’s on Sunday were trounced in the last leg of their road trip against the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-0 at PNC Park. The Pirates Jared Triolo and Joey Bart both hit a home run and got four hits in the slugfest.

#2 For Triolo it was his seventh homer of the season and it landed in the left center field bleachers off A’s pitcher Mitch Spence.

#3 To add insult upon injury the Pirates Joey Bart slugged a three run home run off A’s reliever Osvaldo Bido to make it 10-0 in the bottom of the fifth.

#4 For the A’s Spence went 3.1 innings allowing seven runs, nine hits and reliever Bido allowed three runs, four hits in 2.2 innings of work.

#5 The A’s return back to Sacramento and this will be their final homestand for the 2025 season. The A’s will be hosting the Houston Astros starting Tuesday night. Starting pitchers for the Astros RHP Cristian Javier (2-3 ERA 4.45) for the A’s LHP Jefferey Springs (10-11 ERA 4.17) first pitch 7:05pm PT

Barbara Mason did the A’s podcasts each Monday during the 2025 season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

Sacramento A’s Silenced in Pittsburgh as Pirates Dominate 11-0

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Pittsburgh Pirates Joey Bart circles the bases after hitting a three run bottom of the fifth inning home run against the Sacramento A’s at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Sun Sep 21, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s Silenced in Pittsburgh as Pirates Dominate 11-0

By Mauricio Segura

The A’s had a dismal Saturday afternoon running headfirst into a Pittsburgh Pirates buzzsaw that chewed them up and spit them out in an 11-0 loss. From the very first inning, it was clear this one was not going to go the Green and Gold’s way.

Mitch Spence got the start for Sacramento and had trouble from the jump. After quickly collecting two outs in the bottom of the first, he gave up a single to Bryan Reynolds, walked Spencer Horwitz, and then watched Andrew McCutchen slap an RBI single to right.

Nick Gonzales followed with a double, and suddenly the A’s were in a 2-0 hole. Still manageable, but a negative vibe could be detected at this point as it lowered like a mist over the visiting dugout.

The A’s bats made contact but had nothing to show for it. Lawrence Butler flied out to start the game, but Brent Rooker and Nick Kurtz responded with back-to-back singles, hinting at a rally. Tyler Soderstrom’s strikeout and Jacob Wilson’s routine flyout ended that early threat. That sequence would pretty much sum up the day, squandered chances and little to no pressure on the Pirates’ pitching staff.

Pittsburgh kept adding on. In the second inning, Jared Triolo launched a two-run homer after Nick Yorke reached on a fielder’s choice. That made it 4-0, and the A’s offense continued to look like it had left its bats back in Sacramento.

By the time the fourth inning rolled around, the Pirates put the game on ice. Joey Bart singled, Yorke doubled, and Oneil Cruz ripped a two-run single to right. Another RBI hit from Triolo pushed the score to 7-0, and Spence’s day was done. He was lifted after just 3.2 innings, tagged for seven runs on 10 hits.

Osvaldo Bido tried to steady the ship out of the bullpen, but the Pirates were not slowing down. In the fifth, McCutchen drew a walk, Jack Suwinski doubled, and then Bart struck again, this time with a three-run homer that stretched the lead to 10-0. Bart, who entered the game with just three home runs on the season, looked like an All-Star against Sacramento pitching, finishing with a homer, a double, and three runs scored.

The A’s, on the other hand, went down meekly inning after inning. They scattered a handful of singles, Rooker had two, MacIver chipped in one late, and Schuemann reached in the seventh, but never advanced a runner past second base.

By the eighth, the Pirates tacked on one more for good measure when Jared Triolo doubled and later scored on a groundout. It was insult on top of injury for Sacramento, like waiting in line for a nice five-star restaurant, but having the maître d not let you in because he doesn’t like your new tie.

In total, the Athletics managed seven hits, all singles except for Brett Harris’s eighth-inning double, but not a single one came through in the clutch. They struck out 11 times and left eight runners stranded. Pittsburgh’s pitching staff, led by starter Mike Burrows and relievers Carmen Mlodzinski, Yohan Ramírez, and Dauri Moreta, completely shut down the lineup.

It’s back to Sacramento now for a three-game stint against the Astros beginning Tuesday, then the final three-game weekend series with the Royals. It’s been a fun season for sure.

Starting pitchers for the Astros RHP Cristian Javier (2-3 ERA 4.45) for the A’s LHP Jefferey Springs (10-11 ERA 4.17) first pitch 7:05pm PT

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.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

A’s 7-1 Power Surge Under the “Roofed” Texas Sun; Sac sweeps Houston in 4 games at Daiken

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Sacramento A’s starter JP Sears throws against the Houston Astros in the bottom first inning at Daiken Park in Houston Sun Jul 26, 2025 (AP News photo)

A’s 7-1 Power Surge Under the “Roofed” Texas Sun; A’s sweep Astros in 4 games at Daiken

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics brought thunder and precision to Daikin Park on Sunday afternoon, lighting up the scoreboard and shutting down the Houston offense with a 7–1 victory that was every bit as lopsided as the box score suggests.

From the moment Miguel Andujar deposited the first pitch he saw into the right-field seats, it was clear the A’s came to play. And for nine innings, they played with the kind of crisp execution and timely power that every manager dreams of.

Andujar’s solo shot to open the game wasn’t just a strong start, it was a tone-setter. The very next inning, Shea Langeliers joined the party with a solo blast of his own, this one heading out to left and giving the Athletics a 2–0 lead before Houston had even touched a base. That early firepower would’ve been enough on its own, considering the dominance of starter J.T. Ginn, but the A’s weren’t done.

Ginn, who’s been gradually carving out a solid role in the A’s rotation, looked completely unbothered by Houston’s lineup. He worked quickly, attacked the strike zone, and kept hitters guessing with a mix of breaking balls and sneaky heat.

Through six innings, he didn’t allow a single run, and at one point retired seven straight batters with the kind of confidence that says, I’ve got this! He ended his afternoon by handing off a shutout that the bullpen preserved, mostly with ease.

The Green and Gold offense went a little quiet after the early surge, but in the fourth, they manufactured runs with savvy baserunning and smart situational hitting. Brent Rooker led off with a single and advanced on a single by Austin Wynns, both of whom took extra bags on a wild pitch. Gio Urshela then drove in Rooker with a textbook sacrifice fly, and Colby Thomas followed with a clutch RBI double to stretch the lead to 4–0.

Houston, meanwhile, struggled to generate anything remotely resembling a rally. The heart of their order, Jose Altuve, Victor Caratini, and Christian Walker, was mostly silenced by Ginn and later relievers Jack Perkins and Ben Bowden. Even when they had a chance to chip away in the seventh, a costly error by shortstop Max Schuemann was quickly erased by solid defense and more empty swings from the Astros.

By the time the ninth inning rolled around, the A’s bats woke up again like they had unfinished business. Langeliers and Wynns opened with back-to-back singles, and Carlos Cortes, who stayed in the game after pinch-hitting in the seventh, roped a single to load the bases.

That set the stage for Schuemann’s redemption: a two-run single that made it 6–0 and turned a solid win into a decisive one. Luis Urías tacked on another RBI single, and just like that, the A’s had dropped a three-spot in the ninth for good measure.

Though Houston finally pushed across a run in the bottom of the ninth, courtesy of a Chas McCormick double and Mauricio Dubón’s RBI two-bagger, it was far too little, far too late. Ben Bowden calmly induced a flyout from Yainer Diaz to close the door and end what was, for all intents and purposes, a thorough and complete win by the visiting club.

A’s are back in Sacramento Monday night against the Seattle Mariners. Starting pitcher for the M’s RHP Luis Castillo (7-6 ERA 3.30) for the A’s LHP JP Sears (7-8 ERA 4.98) first pitch 7:05pm PT.

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.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

Atrium Hospitality Logo

Hope Fuerniss, HMCC | Area Director of Sales and Marketing

916.384.0140 (o)| 901.3

Butler Blasts the Door Open as A’s Outmuscle Houston Late 5-1; A’s go for 4 game sweep Sunday

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Sacramento A’s Lawrence Butler runs the bases after hitting a ninth inning three run home run against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park in Houston on Sat Jul 26, 2025 (AP News photo)

Butler Blasts the Door Open as A’s Outmuscle Houston Late 5-1 For 3 Game Sweep

By Mauricio Segura

Them Sactown boys rolled into Daikin Park with an underdog’s swagger and walked away with a statement win Saturday, thanks in large part to a ninth-inning bomb from Lawrence Butler that put an exclamation point on a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Sacramento A’s pieced together just enough early offense, held their nerve through a tense middle stretch, and then erupted late to seal the deal. On a night where both teams leaned heavily on their bullpens, the Green and Gold had the final word.

The game started with Brent Rooker doing what he’s been doing all year, making pitchers pay for mistakes. His two-out double in the top of the first drove in Nick Kurtz and gave the Athletics a quick 1-0 lead. That early run looked like it might be enough for a while, as starter Jacob Lopez and reliever Justin Sterner danced through danger against a Houston lineup that couldn’t quite cash in on their opportunities.

The Astros had their chances. In the first inning, Jose Altuve and Christian Walker both drew walks, putting traffic on the bases with just one out. But Yainer Diaz’s fielder’s choice and a bunt attempt from Chas McCormick that didn’t fool anyone killed the rally. That kind of frustrating inning would become a theme for Houston.

Lopez pitched with poise until the fifth, when Sterner took over. The A’s bullpen was tight, giving up just one run the rest of the way. The lone misstep came in the bottom of the sixth, when the Astros finally broke through. Christian Walker doubled, Yainer Diaz singled him to third, and Chas McCormick lifted a sacrifice fly to center that tied things at 1-1. But the tying run felt more like a temporary pause than a momentum shift.

Just one half-inning earlier, Shea Langeliers had launched his 16th homer of the season, an absolute rope into the left-center seats, to put the A’s up 2-0. Even though the Astros had responded, the A’s weren’t rattled.

Then came the ninth inning, where things got a little loud.

After two quick outs, it looked like Houston’s Héctor Neris might escape unscathed. But then shortstop Zack Short mishandled what should’ve been the third out, allowing Max Schuemann to reach.

A walk to Luis Urías followed, setting the table for Lawrence Butler. Neris tried to sneak a fastball by him, but Butler was ready and demolished it over the right-field wall for a three-run shot. In the blink of an eye, what had been a nail-biter turned into a comfortable 5-1 lead.

Houston, meanwhile, couldn’t figure out Miller, who entered in the ninth and slammed the door with a strikeout, a lineout, and a weak groundout to end it. The Astros struck out 14 times in total and were held to just five hits, a stat line that underscored their inability to mount any sustained offensive threat.

As the A’s continue to navigate life on the road and the trials of a franchise in transition, games like this offer a glimpse of what could be. If the kids keep hitting and the arms hold up, they’ll be more than just spoilers down the stretch. They’ll be a problem to the other contenders.

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

Athletics Podcast Lincoln Juarez: A’s drop five of first six to start the second half. Kurtz has historic Friday night in Houston

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Athletics’ Nick Kurtz celebrates after hitting a three-run home against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 25, 2025, in Houston. (David J. Phillip – AP)

Athletics podcast Lincoln Juarez

#1 For the A’s to have any chance at turning this disappointing season around they needed a good start to the second half. Dropping five of the first six following the All-Star break, what is the message to the team?

#2 Nick Kurtz has been a bright spot for the A’s since his debut with the team. He is coming off of winning AL Player of the Week last week and a four home-run game Friday night against the Astros. How much is his presence felt in the lineup?

#3 Luis Severino looked Stellar in his last start in the A’s win over Houston Thursday night. How does this affect his value going into the trade deadline and can we still expect to see him be moved?

#4 The A’s exploded for 15 runs Friday night against the Astros in a 15-3 win to take the first two games in Houston. How can they find more consistent offense and who in the lineup can lead the way?

#5 Brent Rooker mentioned in a statement Friday that he is “not going anywhere” at the trade deadline. The A’s obviously see him as a big piece of their future and he values his role with the team and the contract extension he signed…

Lincoln Juarez does the Sacramento A’s podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kurtz and the Curse Breakers Power Past Astros 15-3 in Houston Beatdown

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Nick Kurtz smashes an eighth inning home run for the Sacramento A’s against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park in Houston on Fri Jul 25, 2026 (AP News photo)

Kurtz and the Curse Breakers Power Past Astros 15-3 in Houston Beatdown

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento A’s brought a sledgehammer to Daikin Park on Friday night and reduced the Houston Astros to rubble in a thunderous 15-3 win, their most lopsided road victory of the season and a statement performance from their youth-infused core.

At the center of the storm was rookie phenom Nick Kurtz, who launched four home runs and drove in seven, putting an exclamation point on a, now 12-game hit streak and further cementing his status as the front-runner for AL Rookie of the Year.

Kurtz, the A’s 22-year-old breakout slugger, wasted no time getting the party started, singling in the first inning before unloading for a two-run blast in the second. He wasn’t finished. He went deep again in the sixth, eighth, then capped his night with a three-run rocket in the ninth, giving him 23 home runs on the season, most among MLB rookies, and a staggering 44 RBIs in his last 38 games. His third homer tied him with Eric Chavez for the most in a season by an Athletic under the age of 23 since 2000, and now stands on top of the A’s record book.

But this wasn’t a solo act. Tyler Soderstrom crushed his 19th homer of the year, a solo shot in the third, while Shea Langeliers followed with a two-run blast in the fourth to help Sacramento build a 9-0 cushion. The A’s put up crooked numbers in five different innings, scoring three in the first, two in the second, one in the third, three more in the fourth, and a devastating four-run ninth that put the game out of reach for good.

Sacramento’s 16-hit barrage included contributions from nearly everyone in the lineup. Carlos Cortes, in just his second major league game, notched three hits and two RBIs. Jacob Wilson walked, singled, and scored twice. Gio Urshela stayed hot with three hits, while Lawrence Butler broke out of an 0-for-9 slump with a single and a run. Even Colby Thomas, fresh off a recall from Triple-A Las Vegas, got in on the act with a hit-by-pitch and a run scored.

On the mound, left-hander Jeffrey Springs shook off a rough outing in Cleveland and delivered a gem, scattering five hits over six shutout innings with six strikeouts. He retired nine of the first ten batters and induced a pair of double plays to erase early base traffic. It was a critical bounce-back for Springs, who leads the A’s in wins and continues to pitch deep into games when his team needs stability.

The bullpen followed suit, with Elvis Alvarado and Ben Bowden each logging clean innings. Bowden, making his first MLB appearance since 2021, closed things out despite allowing a ninth-inning RBI double to Yainer Diaz.

The Athletics’ win snapped a string of 17 losses in their last 23 games at Daikin Park and improved them to 4-4 against Houston this season. It also marked the latest eruption for an offense that now leads the majors in extra-base hits in July. Sacramento’s 15 runs were the most they’ve scored since May, and they’ve now homered in 12 of their last 13 games.

As for Kurtz, the rookie continues to make history by the week. His six-hit, eight-RBI performance is the most RBIs by an A’s rookie in a single game since Ben Grieve in 1998, and his 23 homers through 66 games is an unprecedented pace for any player in franchise history.

Starting pitchers for Saturday’s game three of the series for the A’s LHP Jacob Lopez (3-6 ERA 4.60) for the Astros RHP Hunter Brown (9-4 ERA 2.57) first pitch 4:10pm PT in Houston.

Houston RHP Hunter Brown (9-4 2.57 ERA) opposes LHP Jacob Lopez (3-6 4.60 ERA) when the series continues Saturday.

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.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

A’s Bring the Heat and Silence the Bats in Houston 5-2

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Athletics’ Luis Urías hits home run against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
 (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A’s Bring the Heat and Silence the Bats in Houston 5-2

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics didn’t play around Thursday night. With the season slipping into its second half, the Green and Gold made a loud statement in Houston, riding a polished outing from Luis Severino and just enough timely hitting to beat the Houston Astros 5-2 at Daikin Park.

From the very first pitch at 7:10 PM, it was clear the A’s came ready to win with sharp defense, aggressive baserunning, and a cool, collected mound presence. That energy paid off quickly, and this time, the box score tells the story just as much as the vibes.

It all started with Max Schuemann slicing a leadoff single in the top of the first, but the A’s weren’t able to cash in. No matter, Luis Severino came out in the bottom half and matched that energy by silencing the Astros’ top of the order. Taylor Trammell did manage a single and a stolen base, but Severino struck out two and got Christian Walker to bounce back to the mound, keeping things scoreless.

Sacramento found its breakthrough in the second. Lawrence Butler worked a walk and quickly swiped second, his 17th stolen base of the year, then advanced to third on a bad throw. Carlos Cortes did his job with a sacrifice fly to center, and just like that, the A’s were on the board.

They didn’t stop there. After a clean bottom of the second from Severino, his A’s strung together a sequence of smart, situational baseball in the fourth. Cortes singled, Gio Urshela followed with another hit, and Luis Urías kept the line moving with a single of his own to load the bases.

A forceout off Schuemann’s bat plated Cortes, and then Nick Kurtz drilled a double to right to bring in Urshela. Schuemann got thrown out at the plate trying to score from first, but by then the damage was done. The A’s were up 3-0, and confidence was mounting.

The fifth brought more of the same. After Brent Rooker drew a leadoff walk, Tyler Soderstrom smacked a double to left, setting up a sac fly from Shea Langeliers to make it 4-0. The Green and Gold weren’t lighting up the scoreboard with home runs, but they were executing small-ball perfectly, and the Astros had no answer.

The only real power moment for Sacramento came in the sixth, when Luis Urías launched a solo homer to left center, his eighth of the season. That stretched the lead to 5-0, and it would prove to be all they needed.

Severino was in full control throughout his six shutout innings. Houston’s hitters couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm. In fact, by the time the Astros finally showed life in the seventh, on a Victor Caratini double and a pair of sacrifice plays, it was already too little, too late. They did scratch across two runs to make it 5-2, but Sacramento’s bullpen slammed the door shut after that.

Michael Kelly took over in the eighth and got two outs before Mason Miller entered and cleaned up the inning. In the ninth, Steven Okert closed it out with flair. He walked one but didn’t flinch, striking out Christian Walker and inducing a final flyout to center from Jon Singleton to end it.

It wasn’t the flashiest win of the year, but it might have been one of the smartest. Seven different A’s recorded hits, four of them had RBIs, and the team swiped three bases while making zero errors. Kurtz was a standout, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI, while Urshela also had a multi-hit game and scored once.

Starting pitchers for Friday night in Houston: For the A’s  LHP Jeffery Springs (8-7 ERA 4.18) for the Astros RHP Ryan Gusto (9-3 ERA 4.46) first pitch at Daiken Park 5:10pm PT.

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

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.