Lopez finds rhythm behind opener in A's win over Padres
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SAN DIEGO -- Searching for ways to remedy what has been a subpar season to this point for Jacob Lopez, the Athletics switched things up on Sunday.
Rather than have him make his scheduled start, the A’s utilized Luis Medina as the opener with a plan to have Lopez follow out of the bullpen. Ideally, Medina would get the first half of San Diego’s batting order, allowing Lopez a softer landing spot to begin his outing.
The game plan worked about as well as the A’s could have hoped. With the offense jumping out to an early three-run lead over the first two innings, including a blast by Carlos Cortes to lead off the game, Medina and Lopez combined for six innings of one-run ball to help secure a 5-2 victory over the Padres at Petco Park.
Reaching base three times on Sunday, Nick Kurtz extended his MLB-leading on-base streak to 47 games, which is now tied with Jimmie Foxx for the second-longest streak in A’s history.