A's Beat Cardinals 6-2 on Kurtz Grand Slam

West Sacramento, Calif. Nick Kurtz smashed a grand slam in the fifth inning to propel the Oakland Athletics to a 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.

Kurtz's drive sailed over the glove of Victor Scott II in deep center field, handing the Athletics a lead they would not relinquish. The blast marked the third career grand slam for the reigning American League Rookie of the Year and stretched his on-base streak to 36 games.

J.T. Ginn anchored the win with six innings of one-run ball. The 21-year-old right-hander surrendered nine hits and one walk while fanning three. The Cardinals' lone run charged to him proved unearned, stemming from a fielding error by Oakland right fielder Colby Thomas.

Henry Bolte made an impressive major league debut for the Athletics after his promotion Tuesday from Triple-A Las Vegas. The 22-year-old went 2-for-2 with two singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly. He notched his first career hit in his initial at-bat during the second inning and drove in his first run with the sac fly in the seventh.

Zack Gelof added insurance with a solo home run in the eighth. Darell Hernaiz collected three hits, while Kurtz, Thomas and Michael Stefanic...