The Houston Astros couldn’t have picked a worse time to put yet another starting pitcher on the injured list. After all, Nick Kurtz is still in town.
Kurtz, the Athletics’ breakout star rookie, took some serious lumber to the record books on Friday night, becoming the first rookie to hit four home runs in a game (and 20th player in history to do it) and tying the major league record for most total bases in a game with 19.
He finished 6-for-6 and drove in eight runs in a 15-3 laugher as the A’s won for the second straight night in Houston. The four-game series continues on Saturday.
“It’s an ‘I can’t believe it’s real’ type of thing,'” Kurtz told ESPN after the game when told of some of the names he is joining with his historic start.
Kurtz, 22, leads all major league rookies in home runs (23), RBIs (59), extra-base hits (53) and OPS (1.060) despite not making his major league debut until April 23.
“I don’t think I knew until I hit the second homer,” Kurtz said when asked when he thought he might be putting together a special night. “I’ve been feeling good for a couple days.”
The same cannot be said for the Astros, who will send All-Star righty Hunter Brown (9-4, 2.57 ERA) to the mound Saturday. Despite his stellar numbers, Brown is mired in his first prolonged slump of the season, going 0-1 with a 7.80 ERA over his past three starts. In the seven starts before that stretch, Brown went 3-0 with a 1.49 ERA.
He will take the mound a day after Houston placed left-handed starter Brandon Walter on the 15-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation, increasing the total to a whopping 18 Astros currently on the IL.
Among the group are eight starting pitchers, including six who have started for the Astros this season.
Almost daily, Houston manager Joe Espada is asked to provide updates on those rehabbing their maladies. Patience is wearing thin in terms of dealing with the steady stream of injury inquiries.
“I wish the focus would shift to the guys actually on the field,” Espada said. “The injured list, that’s where we’re at, and some of those guys are getting back. But these players, right now, the way they’re playing, we should talk about them. We should talk about their grit, their toughness, and I’m really proud of those guys right now.”
Brown is 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA over seven career starts against the Athletics. He allowed one run on six hits with eight strikeouts in six innings in an 11-1 home win over the Athletics on May 27.
Rookie left-hander Jacob Lopez (3-6, 4.60 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Athletics on Saturday. He held the Astros to one run on four hits and three walks with nine strikeouts over six innings on June 19 but did not factor into the decision.
“He’s really grasped the fact that in order to pitch into the fifth, sixth inning, you’ve got to attack the zone, you’ve got to be aggressive and command the baseball,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “Throw strikes, get early-count outs, and I think all of those things he’s really improved with.”
–Field Level Media
