Sports
Athletics' Nick Kurtz aims to continue power surge vs. Giants
May 15, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Nick Kurtz got off to a slow start in the power department by going homerless over the Athletics’ first 13 games and later enduring a 15-game drought.
But Kurtz suddenly has found his long-ball stroke, and he will attempt to homer for the fourth consecutive game when the Athletics face the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
Kurtz smashed a go-ahead, three-run blast over the wall in left-center in Friday’s 5-2 victory in the opener of the three-game set against the Giants.
“I was looking for something early (in the count) to get the job done and looking to get it in the air,” Kurtz said of jumping on Tyler Mahle’s first-pitch cutter to smack his eighth blast of the season.
Kurtz, 23, also homered in the final two games of a series with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is 5-for-10 in the three-game stretch and has reached base in 38 consecutive games.
Kurtz’s streak is the longest by an Athletics player since Jason Giambi reached in 39 straight games in both the 1997 and 1998 seasons.
But Kurtz, the fourth overall selection of the 2024 draft, is most valued for his power. He went deep 36 times last season and was the unanimous American League Rookie of the Year.
“I’ve been feeling better in batting practice and things are starting to come together a little bit,” Kurtz said. “It takes time throughout the season — you may come out hot, you may come out cold and then get hot. It’s a roller coaster of emotions.”
San Francisco went 5-1 against the Athletics last season but this year’s first clash didn’t go well.
Luis Arraez and Harrison Bader hit solo homers for San Francisco, which left 10 men on base and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position while falling to 8-15 on the road.
Arraez had four hits, marking the 23rd time that the three-time batting champion has had four or more in a game.
“It’s good for me but it’s not good for the team,” Arraez said. “We want to win the game.”
Meanwhile, Giants manager Tony Vitello insisted his club played a solid game.
“As a coaching staff, you have to feel like if we played like we did (Friday), the law of percentages like that is we win the game,” Vitello said. “I thought the team played real well. … You saw what you wanted to see if you were in our dugout.”
Giants left fielder Heliot Ramos departed Friday’s game after 5 1/2 innings due to right quadriceps tightness and Vitello said Ramos won’t be available Saturday. He went 1-for-3 before exiting.
Right-hander Luis Severino (2-4, 4.07 ERA) will take the mound for the Athletics.
Severino, 32, has allowed just five runs while going 2-2 in a four-start span. He lost his last two starts, including Sunday when he gave up two runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings against the host Baltimore Orioles.
Severino is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in three starts at Sutter Health Park. Last year, he was 2-9 with a 6.01 ERA in 15 home starts.
Severino is 0-2 with a 3.47 ERA in four career starts against the Giants. He has regularly shut down Rafael Devers (3-for-24) and Matt Chapman (3-for-23) while struggling with Arraez (5-for-9) and Willy Adames (6-for-17, one homer).
Right-hander Trevor McDonald (1-0, 2.92) makes his third start of the season for San Francisco.
He impressed while beating the San Diego Padres on May 4 when he gave up one run and two hits over seven innings. He also faced the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday and allowed three runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision.
McDonald, 25, has never faced the A’s.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Corbin Carroll helps Diamondbacks beat Rockies with 2-homer game
May 17, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll (7) hits a two run home run in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Corbin Carroll hit two homers and drove in three runs Sunday to help the Arizona Diamondbacks post an 8-6 victory over the Colorado Rockies in Denver.
After a 105-minute weather delay to start the series finale, Michael Soroka (6-2) threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits, striking out eight and walking two. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered and Gabriel Moreno had three hits for Arizona, which won its first road series since taking two of three from the Baltimore Orioles from April 13-15.
Michael Lorenzen (2-6) suffered his fourth straight loss for Colorado, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits across 4 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking three. Willi Castro drove in two runs for the Rockies, who dropped their sixth game in eight tries.
Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo worked back-to-back two-out walks in the third before Nolan Arenado’s RBI single put Arizona ahead 1-0. Gurriel followed with a single to double the Diamondbacks’ lead.
After Moreno’s leadoff single in the fourth, Ildemaro Vargas’ RBI base hit pushed the Arizona advantage to 3-0. Carroll then crushed his sixth home run of the season, a 431-foot shot to give the visitors a five-run lead.
The Rockies got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth. TJ Rumfield, Troy Johnston and Castro laced consecutive two-out doubles to trim the deficit to 5-2.
In the fifth, Gurriel connected on his first homer of the season to push the lead to four. Moreno then singled, stole second and advanced to third on catcher Brett Sullivan’s throwing error before Jose Fernandez’s single extended Arizona’s lead back to five.
Blas Castano relieved Lorenzen after 101 pitches.
Castano allowed Carroll’s second homer of the game in the sixth, this time a 448-foot solo shot.
Against Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt in the bottom of the eighth, Hunter Goodman singled, Rumfield was hit by a pitch and Johnston walked to load the bases with no outs. Castro’s sac fly and Jake McCarthy’s RBI single cut the Rockies’ deficit to 8-4.
Taylor Clarke then replaced Pfaadt and allowed Kyle Karros’ RBI single and Sullivan’s sac fly, pulling Colorado within two.
Paul Sewald threw a scoreless ninth to earn his 10th save in 11 attempts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hat trick gives Hany Mukhtar milestone, Nashville another victory
May 17, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar (10) celebrates with forward Warren Madrigal (41), midfielder Bryan Acosta (6) and midfielder Ahmed Qasem (37) after scoring a goal against Los Angeles Football Club during the second half at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images Hany Mukhtar logged a hat trick and Brian Schwake made seven saves as Nashville SC held off visiting LAFC 3-2 on Sunday night.
Mukhtar’s second goal, which came off a bending free kick from the left side of the box in the 21st minute for a 2-0 Nashville lead, was his 100th goal across all competitions in his seven years with the franchise.
His third goal in the 59th minute also came off a free kick from 25 yards out in the field’s middle. Muhktar drilled it to the upper right corner, just out of reach of goalie Thomas Hasal.
That goal came in handy when Denis Bouanga pulled one back in the 68th minute via Son Heung-Min’s corner kick. Bouanga, standing near the left post, flicked the ball just inside the woodwork.
However, Schwake came up big throughout the match, withstanding LAFC’s fierce attacks often enough to help his team get the result. LAFC (6-5-3, 21 points) owned a 22-8 advantage in shots and a 9-4 margin in shots on frame but couldn’t translate it into a result
Nashville (9-1-3, 30 points) leaned on Schwake at the end. Ryan Hollingshead had a great chance to equalize in the 89th minute on a point-blank shot but Schwake denied him with his left arm.
The match was billed prior to its start as one between two of the league’s top sides. LAFC was just 2-4-2 since a 4-0-1 start but is still considered one of the most talented teams in the league, while Nashville entered as the league’s only unbeaten team at home.
After the first 10 minutes, when Nashville seemed a bit tentative, the hosts it cracked the code in the 13th on a smart counterattack. Warren Madrigal teed up Muhktar on the right side of the box and he beat Hasal low to the left corner.
Nashville appeared poised for a rout after Muhktar’s second marker but LAFC responded in the 22nd minute when Bouanga zipped a pass to David Martinez at the goal mouth for a tap-in tally.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Gavin Sheets (2 homers), Padres dominate Mariners
May 17, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Gavin Sheets (30) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Gavin Sheets hit two home runs and Lucas Giolito combined with two relievers on a one-hitter in his San Diego debut as the Padres defeated the host Seattle Mariners 8-3 on Sunday, sweeping the season-long, six-game Vedder Cup series.
Mariners top prospect Colt Emerson was called up from Triple-A Tacoma (Wash.) earlier in the day when Brendan Donovan (strained left groin) went on the 10-day injured list. Emerson played third base and batted ninth, going 0-for-2 with a walk and scored a run in his MLB debut.
Seattle’s only hit was Luke Raley’s one-out grounder into right field for a single in the second inning.
Giolito, signed as a free agent by the Padres on April 22, allowed one hit and no runs through the first five innings. He had an extended stretch on the bench as San Diego scored five times in the top of the sixth to take a 7-0 lead.
By the time Giolito returned to the mound, he lost his command, walking the first three batters in the bottom of the inning. Left-hander Yuki Matsui replaced Giolito and walked Josh Naylor with the bases loaded before Randy Arozarena and pinch hitter Rob Refsnyder added sacrifice flies to pull the Mariners within 7-3.
Giolito (1-0) was charged with three runs on one hit in five-plus innings. The right-hander walked three and struck out three.
Matsui and Bradgley Rodriguez both pitched two hitless innings of relief.
Sheets hit a solo homer in the first inning and a two-run shot in the sixth, both to right off George Kirby (5-3), and added a run-scoring double in the seventh.
The Padres made it 2-0 in the fifth as Xander Bogaerts drew a lead-off walk, stole second and third and scored on former Mariner Ty France’s two-out single to right.
San Diego pulled away in the sixth as, with one out, Miguel Andujar doubled, Sheets homered and Manny Machado doubled. An out later, Jackson Merrill doubled to make it 5-0 and chase Kirby.
Reliever Cooper Criswell walked Ramon Laureano and threw a wild pitch, advancing the runners to second and third. France lined a two-run single to center for a 7-0 advantage.
Kirby allowed six runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander walked two and struck out six. Kirby dropped to 0-3 in three career starts against San Diego with an 10.50 ERA.
Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford left after four innings after being hit by a Giolito pitch in his right triceps.
–Field Level Media
Corbin Carroll helps Diamondbacks beat Rockies with 2-homer game
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