A day after his manager mentioned some Hall of Famers when speaking about him, Nick Kurtz just continued to mash. Batting cleanup, Kurtz smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to give his team a quick 2-0 lead over the Cleveland Guardians, and that homer would end up being enough for the A’s on Friday night. For Kurtz, that is now five home runs in six games, and while this one didn’t come in the ninth inning or later, it did serve as a go-ahead shot, and ultimately was enough for the A’s to secure the 5-1 win over the Guardians. The A’s first baseman landed on the IL back on May 27, missing time until his return on June 9, but even before his injury he was also starting to launch homers, with four home runs in a five-game span.