Reds fall 2 1/2 games back of last NL wild card as A’s complete 3-game sweep with 7-4 win

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Nick Kurtz hit one of the Athletics’ four home runs, a go-ahead, two-run drive in the fifth inning that led the Athletics over Cincinnati 7-4 on Sunday for a three-game sweep that dropped the Reds 2 1/2 games back for the last NL wild card.

Jacob Wilson, Colby Thomas and Brent Rooker also homered for the Athletics (70-80), who overcame a 3-0, fourth-inning deficit and surpassed their 2024 wins total with 12 games remaining.

Noelvi Marte homered in the first off rookie Luis Morales and Will Benson added a two-run drive in the second.

Wilson and Thomas homered in the fourth and Kurtz put the A’s ahead 4-3 with two outs in the fifth with an opposite-field drive to left, his 32nd home run this season. Kurtz and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge are tied for the big league lead of 16 opposite-field homers.

Brett Harris’ RBI double, his third hit, chased Nick Lodolo (8-8) in the sixth and boosted the lead to 5-3 . Rooker hit a two-run homer off Zach Maxwell in the seventh.

Morales (4-1) allowed three runs and four hits in five innings. Justin Sterner allowed Sal Stewart’s leadoff homer in the eighth and Michael Kelly pitched a perfect ninth for his first big league save.

Lodolo allowed five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Key moment

Lux led off the fourth with a triple, but Wilson charged Ke’Bryan Hayes’ one-out grounder to shortstop and threw Lux out at home to keep the deficit at 3-0.

Key stat

Cincinnati fell below .500 at 74-75.

Up next

Reds RHP Zack Littell (9-8, 3.78) starts Monday in St. Louis opposite Cardinals LHP Matthew Liberatore (7-12, 4.35).

Athletics: LHP Jeffrey Springs (10-11, 4.28) starts Tuesday at Boston.

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