Nick Kurtz extends hot streak with game not on ‘bingo card’ in Athletics’ win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Nick Kurtz kept his on-base streak alive and Jacob Lopez had one of his best showings of the 2026 MLB season as the Athletics defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Friday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
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The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Kurtz legged out an infield single in the third inning to extend his on-base streak to an MLB-best 32 games.
If that wasn’t impressive enough, the first baseman stepped to the plate in the fifth inning with runners on second and third and sent a pitch down the first-base line past Pete Alonso.
As Lawrence Butler and Zack Gelof touched home plate to break a 1-1 tie and give the A’s a two-run lead, Kurtz hustled around the infield and slid into third base for his first triple of the season.
“I don’t know if an infield single and a triple were on the bingo card tonight, but that’s just kind of how it went,” Kurtz told broadcasters Dallas Braden and Jenny Cavnar on NBC Sports California’s “A’s Cast” following the win.
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Kurtz started the season out slowly, going just 1-for-21 (.048) from the dish in his first six games, but the reigning AL Rookie of the Year has looked much more like his 2025 self over the past 31 games with a 34-for-115 (.296) showing.
The 23-year-old also is tied for the MLB lead in walks (36) with Mike Trout and holds the seventh-highest on-base percentage in the majors (.413) among qualified hitters.
Another major storyline in the game was Lopez having one of his best performances of the season, tossing 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts while allowing just two runs. Lopez, who has averaged 6.11 walks per nine innings this season, was able to limit his walks allowed to just two in the win.
Following the victory, manager Mark Kotsay said he liked everything he saw from Lopez, who was making his second start since being skipped over in the A’s rotation due to control issues.
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“I think overall he threw strikes, didn’t beat himself tonight and that’s what we need from Jacob right there,” Kotsay told reporters. “A solid five innings plus.”
The lefty was pulled in the sixth inning after giving up a solo home run to Adley Rutschman. That made the score 3-2 in favor of the A’s.
Jacob Wilson’s RBI single in the eighth inning made it 4-2 A’s before Samuel Basallo singled in the ninth and scored Rutschman to give the game its final score.
Lopez had big shoes to fill on the mound as he followed up a stellar eight-inning performance from J.T. Ginn in the A’s 12-1 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park.
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The back-to-back strong pitching performances for the A’s is something Kurtz couldn’t help but highlight following the win.
“It’s great,” Kurtz said. “I feel like we’re in every single game. I feel like we have a chance in the ninth inning to either close the door or break it open. So, they’ve done a great job, props to them, they’ve done everything we’ve needed and more.”
The A’s starting staff is tied for 27th in the majors with just six quality starts this season, but the team’s record hasn’t faltered due to the limited innings they’ve provided. The team is first in the AL West with a record of 20-18.
The A’s have two more games in Baltimore before they head home for series against the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants.