Athletics 5, Padres 2: Cortes Homers, Kurtz Extends On-Base Streak to 47

The lead

May 24, 2026 - San Diego - The Athletics avoided a three-game sweep with a 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, as Carlos Cortes hit a leadoff homer, Nick Kurtz extended his on-base streak to 47 games, and the AL West leaders got four runs off Michael King before the bullpen closed it out, per the Associated Press recap on CBS Sports.

Kurtz tied Jimmie Foxx (1932) for the second-longest streak in Athletics history and sits one shy of Mark McGwire's club-record 48 to open 1996—the longest active streak in the majors.

How the game turned

Cortes sent King's sixth pitch to the party deck in right for his fifth homer. Henry Bolte's two-out RBI double and Alika Williams' single made it 3-0 in the second before Kurtz singled in the third to keep the streak alive.

King loaded the bases in the fourth on Jonah Heim's double and two walks; a wild pitch scored a run and Cortes walked to reload them before Ron Marinaccio replaced King and struck out Kurtz with two outs. Kurtz added a push-bunt single in the ninth when Manny Machado was shaded toward shortstop. Ty France homered in the seventh for San Diego's second run.

Pitching and matchup notes

Bulk pitcher Jacob Lopez (4-2) earned the win and Scott Barlow recorded his first save, stranding two runners in the ninth. Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits but has yet to homer in 2026, flying out to right to end the game.

AthX Engine graded the Athletics at 11 team FP on the Sunday slate.

Bats that changed the board

The bottom of the order delivered when the top of the lineup drew traffic—Bolte and Williams turned two-out noise into a 3-0 cushion. Cortes set the tone from the first pitch and reached twice on the day.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

Kurtz's streak is a nightly AthX Engine story even on moderate team totals—11 team FP still reflects timely hitting and a bullpen save without needing a 20 FP bat. On-base streaks reward consistency in daily scoring, separate from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

The Athletics host Seattle on Monday with Aaron Civale (5-1, 3.31 ERA), per AP. San Diego opens against Philadelphia with Griffin Canning (0-2, 9.00 ERA) opposing Jesús Luzardo (3-4, 4.85 ERA).

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, CBS Sports recap, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*