Nick Kurtz homered in the ninth inning for the second straight day and the Athletics beat the Houston Astros 3-1.

The Athletics took the opener of their four-game series with the Houston Astros, thanks to yet another huge home run from rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz.

Nick Kurtz knew it was gone as soon as it left his bat. In a game that was tightly contested until the end on Monday night, Kurtz promptly delivered the decisive blow in the ninth inning, demolishing

Rookie Nick Kurtz walloped a two-run walk-off homer with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Athletics a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday

Prospect Brice Matthews is also on the radar but Astros want to see more contact from him at the plate in Sugar Land.

Aaron Civale is a Chicago White Sox starting pitcher — for now. The 30-year-old right-hander joined the White Sox this week after he was traded to them by the Milwaukee Brewers. This came after he asked for a trade when was moved to the bullpen as Milwaukee made way for the Major League debut of its top pitching prospect, Jacob Misiorowski.

Isaac Paredes' hamstring injury hasn't forced him to the IL yet, but Jacob Melton's new ankle injury could lead to a prolonged absence.

Isaac Paredes is also out for a third consecutive game with a strained hamstring as Houston goes through another round of injuries.

Joe Ryan fixed the team’s starting pitching problem, but the Astros answered with Hunter Brown in a pitchers’ duel decided in the ninth inning.