This story was originally published by Dead Spin
The spotlight will be on first base when the Houston Astros and host Oakland Athletics continue their three-game series on Tuesday night.
On a night when each team got eight hits — none by a first baseman — the A’s used 3-for-7 hitting with runners in scoring position to produce a 4-0 victory on Monday over the Astros.
Much of the attention before the game arrived via off-the-field news.
Looking for additional pop from the right side of the plate, the Astros created a homecoming of sorts for former Oakland utility infielder Aledmys Diaz by promoting him out of the Florida Complex League just nine days after he had signed a minor league contract.
In a rare move from a last-place team’s scrap heap to a contender’s starting lineup, Diaz was thrust into the starting lineup at first base and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout against A’s left-hander Hogan Harris, a former teammate.
Diaz lost his job with the A’s after going just 3-for-29 (.103) in 12 games and was released July 5.
The 33-year-old noted before the game that he was more excited rejoining the Astros, with whom he won a World Series championship in 2022, than in seeing the inside of the Oakland Coliseum again.
“I basically feel like I never left,” he said. “Especially knowing the boys and (Astros manager Joe) Espada … so many memories. So I feel like normal being back in this clubhouse.”
Diaz was re-acquired in part because left-handed-hitting Jon Singleton, the Astros’ regular first baseman, has hit just .174 against lefty pitchers this season. Singleton pinch hit for Diaz in the ninth inning Monday after Oakland went to All-Star righty closer Mason Miller. Singleton, who is hitting .235, grounded out.
Coincidentally, the A’s designated Diaz for assignment less than two weeks before adding to their logjam at first base with the selection of Wake Forest slugger Nick Kurtz with the fourth overall pick of the draft.
Kurtz formally signed with the A’s on Monday, then hit the farthest ball of the night — a second-decker — during an impressive pregame batting practice session.
“I don’t know if there’s a word to really describe it,” he said after drawing a crowd around the batting cage. “This is awesome. This is what you dream of as a kid. This is why you put in all those hours for this kind of moment. I’m just so excited to be here. It’s been so much fun.”
Oakland first basemen have hit just .199 this season. Converted outfielder Seth Brown (.191) went 0-for-3 with a walk in the series opener on Monday, subbing for injured Tyler Soderstrom (.219), a converted catcher.
If Kurtz is to get an opportunity to homer in a major league game at the Oakland Coliseum, chances are it will have to happen before season’s end. The A’s are scheduled to play their home games next season in Sacramento en route, they hope, to a 2028 landing in Las Vegas.
Several from the 2023 draft already have reached the majors, including rookie right-hander Jake Bloss (0-0, 4.70 ERA), Houston’s scheduled starter Tuesday.
The 23-year-old will be making his third big-league start and first versus the Athletics. He has pitched a total of 7 2/3 innings without getting a decision in a pair of home wins — 14-11 over the Baltimore Orioles on June 21 and 6-3 over the Miami Marlins on July 11.
Oakland is scheduled to counter with right-hander Osvaldo Bido (1-1, 3.44), who earned a second start this season after pitching effectively out of the bullpen in his last six outings, during which he’s posted a 1.72 ERA.
The 28-year-old has never faced the Astros.
–Field Level Media
