SAN DIEGO (AP) — Carlos Cortes hit a leadoff home run and Nick Kurtz extended his on-base streak to 47 games as the AL West-leading Athletics beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.
Kurtz, the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year, singled to right with one out in the third to tie Jimmie Foxx (1932) for the second-longest streak in Athletics history. He's one shy of matching Mark McGwire's club-record streak of 48 games to open the 1996 season. Kurtz's streak is the longest in the majors this year.
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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King works against an Athletics batter during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Athletics' Carlos Cortes celebrates after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Sunday, May 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Athletics' Carlos Cortes celebrates after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Sunday, May 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Ty France, right, slides into home before being tagged out by Athletics catcher Jonah Heim, let, as France was trying to score from first off a double by Fernando Tatis Jr. during the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Kurtz came up with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth and struck out against Ron Marinaccio, who had relieved starter Michael King (4-3). King had loaded the bases on Jonah Heim's leadoff double and two walks, with Heim scoring on a wild pitch to make it 4-0. King walked Cortes with two outs to load the bases again before getting the hook.
Kurtz laid down a push bunt for a single in the ninth when third baseman Manny Machado was shaded toward shortstop.
Bulk pitcher Jacob Lopez (4-2) got the win and Scott Barlow came on with two on to get the final two outs for his first save.
Cortes hit King's sixth pitch onto the party deck atop the right field wall, his fifth.
The bottom of the Athletics' order came through in the second, when No. 8 hitter Henry Bolte hit a two-out, RBI double to the gap in left-center and Alika Williams, who went to San Diego's Rancho Bernardo High, singled him in.
San Diego's Ty France homered in the seventh, his fifth.
Fernando Tatis Jr. had his third three-hit game of the season and flied out to right to end it. He's yet to hit a homer this year.
Athletics RHP Aaron Civale (5-1, 3.31 ERA) is set to start Monday at home against Seattle.
Padres RHP Griffin Canning (0-2, 9.00 ERA) is scheduled to start at home against Philadelphia LHP Jesus Luzardo (3-4, 4.85) .
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King works against an Athletics batter during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Athletics' Carlos Cortes celebrates after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Sunday, May 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Athletics' Carlos Cortes celebrates after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Sunday, May 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Ty France, right, slides into home before being tagged out by Athletics catcher Jonah Heim, let, as France was trying to score from first off a double by Fernando Tatis Jr. during the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
MILAN (AP) — Como’s remarkable rise continued Sunday as Cesc Fàbregas’ team qualified for the Champions League along with Roma on the last day of the Serie A season.
AC Milan and Juventus missed out, and Cremonese was relegated.
Como, which has never participated in any continental competition in its 119-year history, was playing in the fourth division of Italian soccer just seven years ago.
“When I arrived four years ago as a player we changed in a bar, today we’re in the Champions League," Fabregas said. "Today I spoke with two physiotherapists, back then we trained without a sports center, in a place I don’t remember where it was. We had massages in the back room of a bar, in a field … And today, less than four years later, we’re going to play in the Champions League.
“It’s a huge achievement, this is a squad full of kids, the 15 players who played the most are nearly all under 23. I think that’s marvelous and a masterpiece from the whole squad."
Fabregas' post-match press conference was interrupted by his overjoyed players, who threw water over their coach as they sang the Champions League anthem, which was also played on a giant speaker they wheeled into the room.
Four teams were vying for the final two Champions League berths in the Italian league’s final round.
Milan and Roma were in pole position as they occupied the third and fourth spots. They were level on points, two above Como and Juventus.
While Roma managed to win 2-0 at already-relegated Hellas Verona on Sunday, Milan lost 2-1 at home to Cagliari. That saw the Rossoneri leapfrogged by Como, which won 4-1 at Cremonese.
Roma finished the season in third place in the Italian standings, two points above Como, which managed fourth place and a spot in Europe's elite club competition.
Milan — which was loudly booed at the end of its match — finished the season one point below Como, with Juventus a point further back.
Juventus let slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Torino in a match that kicked off an hour late because of fan trouble.
Como, which is based on the shores of the eponymous lake in northern Italy, has made rapid progress since Indonesian tobacco billionaire brothers Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono purchased the club in 2019, when it was in Serie D.
The Champions League could prove to be enough to keep Fabregas at Como, with bigger clubs across Europe reportedly interested in the 39-year-old coach following his impressive early success in a senior managerial position.
Antonio Conte’s last match in charge of Napoli was a 1-0 win over Udinese that saw his team finish second in Serie A. It was already guaranteed Champions League soccer along with league champion Inter Milan.
Conte confirmed after the final whistle that he was leaving Napoli.
Lecce beat Genoa 1-0 to secure Serie A safety.
The result saw Lecce move four points above 18th-place Cremonese, which will join Verona and Pisa in the second division next season.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
AC Milan's Christian Pulisic, left, reacts with his teammates Strahinja Pavlovic, center, and Zachary Athekame at the end of the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Cagliari, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
AC Milan's Christopher Nkunku, right, reacts with his teammates after Cagliari's Juan Rodriguez scored his side's second goal during the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Cagliari, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Como's Jesús Rodríguez Caraballo celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Cremonese and Como in Cremona Italy, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Alberto Mariani/LaPresse via AP)
AC Milan's Christian Pulisic reacts at the end of the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Cagliari, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Cremonese's head coach Davide Nicola and Como's head coach Cesc Fabregas, right, greet each other ahead of the Serie A soccer match between Cremonese and Como in Cremona Italy, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Alberto Mariani/LaPresse via AP)
