HOUSTON -- No Nick Kurtz or Jacob Wilson? No problem.
Missing the two players widely considered the top candidates for American League Rookie of the Year from their starting lineup did not slow down the Athletics, who finished off a four-game sweep of the Astros on Sunday with a 7-1 victory at Daikin Park.
In a series dominated by record-breaking performances by Kurtz, it was fitting that the A’s ended it with some more history. In what was the seventh four-game series played between the two clubs in Houston, Sunday marked the first time the A’s have ever swept the Astros in a four-game set on the road. The last A’s sweep of any kind in Houston occurred over a decade ago on May 24-26, 2013.
“This is a tough place to play,” said A’s catcher Shea Langeliers, who started Sunday as the designated hitter and homered for a third straight game with a solo shot in the first. “The crowd is always into it. It’s always loud. [The Astros] have been really good for a long time. To come away with four wins here is really special.”
Sure, the Astros are an ailing bunch with 18 players currently on the injured list. Still, they’ve maintained a hold atop the American League West for most of the season and entered this series on a four-game win streak.
It also marked the first four-game sweep by the Athletics over any team since Mark Kotsay took over as manager of the club for the start of the 2022 season. Before this, the last time the A’s swept a four-game series was April 15-18, 2021, against the Tigers.
“To complete a sweep here says a lot about the group,” Kotsay said. “We were coming out of the [All-Star] break being 1-5 coming in here. To leave with a .500 road trip says a lot. These guys have really worked hard at continuing to try to turn the page and come each day prepared to win. To come in here against a first-place team and sweep them says we’re moving in the right direction.”
Even without Kurtz and Wilson, Sunday’s win was an example of the exciting young A’s core that is building at the big league level.
A pair of rookies led the way on the mound. J.T. Ginn silenced the Astros through six scoreless innings and was followed by another strong effort from A's No. 5 prospect Jack Perkins, who fired another two scoreless frames before handing it off to Ben Bowden in the ninth.
“Both these young guys are starters,” Kotsay said. “Ginn’s got the chance to move into the rotation. Perkins has an opportunity if things change in the rotation. But the role he’s filling right now has been great. We have so much confidence in him when he comes in the game.”
An 11-hit offensive output featured Langeliers' 17th home run and another solo homer by Miguel Andujar, who batted leadof for the first time and hit a first-inning shot over the right-field fence. A’s No. 3 prospect Colby Thomas recorded his first career RBI on a double in the fourth.
The most spectacular play, though, belonged to center fielder Lawrence Butler. Ranging to his left on a hard liner by Jose Altuve in the sixth, Butler covered 75 feet in 4.1 seconds and laid out for an incredible diving catch that robbed the Astros' star of an RBI and extra bases.
Qualifying as a five-star catch with only a catch probability of 20 percent per StatCast, Butler’s gem provided a huge assist for Ginn, who finished off his outing with a strikeout of Christian Walker to end the inning.
“Lawrence has made leaps and bounds of improvements in center field,” Kotsay said. “He’s getting good jumps and breaks and taking good routes. That was a huge, momentum-killing play.”
The A’s (46-62) do not care much to take on the “spoiler” title. They view this second half as valuable development time for this young group against playoff-contending clubs. Next up is a three-game set back at Sutter Health Park against a surging Mariners squad which sits in second place in the AL West.
“That was huge for us to win four games over the top seed in our division,” Butler said. “It says what kind of team we are. We’re always grinding. … We’re going to go into Sacramento with some momentum.”