Athletics Beat Houston Astros 5-1: Butler & Langeliers Homer, Kurtz Extends Streak

Saturday, July 26th, 2025

HOUSTON -- The Athletics secured their third straight victory, defeating the Houston Astros 5-1. Shea Langeliers and Lawrence Butler contributed with home runs, while Nick Kurtz continued his impressive hitting streak, following his historic four-homer game with two more hits.

Game Recap

A night after becoming the first major league rookie to hit four home runs in a single game, Nick Kurtz went 2 for 4, extending his hitting streak to 13 games. During this streak, he is batting an impressive .549.

Shea Langeliers initiated the scoring in the sixth inning, launching a 3-2 fastball from Bennett Sousa into the Crawford Boxes for his 16th home run of the season, giving the Athletics a 2-0 lead.

In a crucial moment in the ninth inning, with two outs and two runners on, Lawrence Butler blasted a 1-2 fastball from Hector Neris 409 feet to right field. This three-run homer, his 15th of the season, extended the A's lead.

The Athletics' pitching staff effectively limited the Astros to just four hits throughout the game. Jacob Lopez pitched the first 4 1/3 innings without allowing a run. Justin Sterner then allowed one run over 1 2/3 innings. Sean Newcomb (3-5) picked up the win, striking out four while facing the minimum number of batters in the seventh and eighth innings. Mason Miller closed out the game with a clean 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Astros All-Star Hunter Brown (9-5) allowed one run on four hits over five innings, which lowered his ERA to 2.54. However, this marked the third consecutive start where he failed to pitch into the sixth inning.

Key Moments and Stats

Key Moment

Lawrence Butler's three-run homer in the ninth inning significantly increased the Athletics' lead to four runs, solidifying their victory.

Key Stat

Houston's opponents have now scored first in a franchise-record 17 consecutive games.

Up Next

Series Finale

Houston LHP Colton Gordon (4-2, 4.53 ERA) is scheduled to face RHP J.T. Ginn (1-2, 4.50 ERA) in the series finale.

In summary

The Athletics defeated the Houston Astros 5-1 on 2025-07-26, extending their winning streak to three games. Key contributions came from Shea Langeliers and Lawrence Butler, who both hit home runs, and Nick Kurtz, who continued his impressive 13-game hitting streak with two hits. The Athletics' pitching staff held the Astros to only four hits, with strong performances from Jacob Lopez, Justin Sterner, Sean Newcomb (who earned the win), and Mason Miller. For the Astros, All-Star pitcher Hunter Brown allowed one run over five innings but failed to go deeper into the game for the third straight start. Lawrence Butler's three-run homer in the ninth was a pivotal moment, while a notable statistic highlighted the Astros' ongoing trend of opponents scoring first. The series is set to conclude with a pitching matchup between Colton Gordon for Houston and J.T. Ginn for the Athletics.

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