Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz slugged back-to-back mammoth homers and Lawrence Butler scored the tiebreaking run on an error and later added an RBI single as the Athletics recorded a 6-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night in Las Vegas.
Butler crossed the plate in the seventh inning as the Athletics won their third straight game and improved to 3-1 on their six-game Las Vegas “homestand.” The A’s took two of three from the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this week.
Cole Carrigg hit a three-run homer for the Rockies, who lost for the sixth time in the past eight contests.
Butler doubled off Zach Agnos (0-2) to start the seventh and the Athletics later had runners on the corners with two outs. Carlos Cortes then took off for second and Colorado catcher Hunter Goodman faked a throw through and Butler bit and was stranded off third.
Goodman ran toward Butler and then made an errant throw into left field as Butler scored to give the Athletics a 5-4 edge.
In the bottom of the eighth, Max Muncy, Henry Bolte and Butler all singled to provide an insurance run.
Mason Barnett (1-0) allowed one hit in 1 2/3 innings and Hogan Harris retired all four batters he faced for his sixth save.
Athletics star shortstop Jacob Wilson (separated left shoulder) was activated Friday and went 0-for-3 with a run and a walk. It was Wilson’s first appearance since May 10.
It was 103 degrees at first pitch and the game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when Langeliers and Kurtz smacked their homers to center off Seth Halvorsen. Langeliers’ blast traveled 450 feet and Kurtz’s went 471, longest in the majors this season, surpassing a 467-footer by Langeliers on April 15.
Colorado responded with four runs in the sixth after loading the bases on singles by Willi Castro and Kyle Karros and a walk to TJ Rumfield against A’s starter Gage Jump.
Justin Sterner entered and struck out Goodman before giving up a sacrifice fly to Troy Johnston. Carrigg followed and ripped a three-run blast to right center that traveled 450 feet and put Colorado ahead 4-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, Wilson walked and Zack Gelof delivered a one-out single before Muncy hit a two-run double off the wall in left center to tie it.
Rockies left-hander Sean Sullivan made his big league debut and gave up two hits and struck out two in three scoreless innings before leaving due to illness. One of the hits he gave up was to Kurtz, his former college teammate at Wake Forest.
Jump was charged with three runs and five hits over five-plus innings. He struck out six and walked one.
