The game turned on one swing in the fifth inning. Nick Kurtz launched a grand slam to center field, erasing a 1-0 deficit and giving Oakland a commanding lead in a 6-2 victory over St. Louis at Sutter Health Park.
Kurtz went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored, his sixth home run of the season raising his RBI total to 25. J.T. Ginn earned the win with six innings of work, allowing nine hits but just one run with no earned runs charged. He struck out three and walked one on 95 pitches.
St. Louis had taken the early lead in the fourth when Nathan Church singled to center, scoring Nolan Gorman. But Kurtz's 405-foot blast in the fifth brought home Darell Hernaiz, Michael Stefanic and Shea Langeliers for a 4-1 Oakland advantage. The Athletics added insurance runs on H. Bolte's sacrifice fly in the seventh and Zack Gelof's solo homer in the eighth.
Matthew Liberatore took the loss for St. Louis, allowing four runs on nine hits over five innings. He struck out five but walked two, with Kurtz's grand slam proving the difference. Ivan Herrera's sacrifice fly in the seventh provided the Cardinals' only other run.
Oakland snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 21-20 and maintain first place in their division. St. Louis, which had won its previous game, fell to 24-17.