WEST SACRAMENTO – On a day in which he wasn’t even supposed to be in the starting lineup, Carlos Cortes ended up a hero for the Athletics.
A late addition to Friday night’s batting order after left fielder Tyler Soderstrom was scratched due to groin tightness, Cortes stepped up and delivered a pair of solo home runs for his first career multihomer game in a 3-0 A’s victory over the Reds at Sutter Health Park.
"Great night for Carlos,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “It’s one of those times where it seems like baseball always rewards the guy that gets into the lineup late. Tonight was that night for Carlos. He had some great at-bats.
After Lawrence Butler got the A’s on the board with his 20th homer of the year, a leadoff homer in the first off Reds starter Brady Singer, Cortes stepped to the plate two innings later and pounced on a 1-0 hanging slider from Singer, launching it onto the berm in right-center for a 408-foot blast, as projected by Statcast.
Later, in the eighth, Cortes stepped to the plate against the Reds' flamethrowing rookie Chase Burns and sent a 98 mph fastball on a 1-2 count over the wall in center for a 413-foot solo shot.
"This game is all about confidence,” Cortes said. “It feels good to get a guy like Singer who has been around and a young guy that throws really hard and is really good.”
It can be difficult for an inexperienced player to build confidence when playing time is sparse. Since his big league debut in July, Cortes has had to make the best in a short-side platoon role as a left-handed hitter. But whether it’s coming off the bench to play left-handed and right-handed in the same game or pinch-hitting late in games against high-leverage relievers, Cortes, now batting .328 with a .925 OPS over his first 31 games, has found a way to make an impact for this A’s club.
“This kid comes prepared every day,” Kotsay said. “He doesn’t get a ton of opportunity. We’ve given him some pinch-hit at-bats. He’s had a few starts. But the at-bats have always been consistent. They’re good, professional ABs. We saw that again tonight. That was a big add-on homer there in the eighth inning for us.”
Cortes doesn’t mind the lack of a regular role. The 28-year-old outfielder is just happy to finally get his shot up here after spending the first six seasons of his professional career in the Minors.
"I’m just super grateful to be here,” Cortes said. “Just getting the opportunity to play, I just try to take advantage of it every time. I just want to win. Any chance I get, helping the team win is my main goal.”
The A’s are hopeful that Soderstrom, considered day to day, could return at some point over the weekend. In the interim, Cortes is likely to continue filling his spot in left field. But whether it’s starting or coming off the bench, Cortes maintains the same approach whenever he shows up to the field.
"I just want to treat it like I’m going to play every day, because you never know what’s going to happen,” Cortes said. “I’ve gone through it in Triple-A, where someone got traded three minutes before the game started and I was at my locker with my uniform on and had to go lead off the game. It’s something I’ve experienced before, so I just try to prepare as much as possible prior to the game so I’m not caught off-guard.”
Cortes had his two home run balls retrieved and authenticated to commemorate his first multihomer game.
You could argue that Friday’s big flies were actually his first two "real’" Major League home runs since his first came last week against the Angels' Scott Kingery, a position player pitching in a blowout. Cortes, however, said he does not look at these two homers any differently than the first.
"No,” Cortes said with a laugh. “They all feel the same. The first one felt really good to get out of the way. Obviously, two in one game feels really good. But they all feel the same.”