One swing decided everything. Nick Kurtz homered in the third inning, and that was enough for Oakland to edge New York 1-0 at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon.
Aaron Civale earned the victory with 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing four hits while striking out three. The right-hander walked none and threw 75 pitches, carrying a 1.72 ERA into his next start. Oakland's bullpen completed the scoreless outing with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.
Kurtz provided the decisive moment in the third inning when he homered to right field, a 363-foot blast that gave the Athletics their only run. The first baseman finished 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts, his first home run of the season raising his average to .204.
Freddy Peralta took the loss despite a strong effort, allowing just one run on four hits over six innings. The Mets starter struck out six and walked three on 100 pitches. His ERA stands at 3.86. Sean Manaea provided three scoreless innings of relief for New York, striking out four without allowing a hit.
The victory extended Oakland's winning streak to five games, improving their record to 8-7. New York's losing streak reached five games as they fell to 7-9.