It took Nick Kurtz until his 14th appearance of the season to hit his first home run, but none of his Athletics’ teammates are all that concerned.
That’s because it took Kurtz 17 games last season to hit the first homer of his career, and he ended up with 36 long balls and was the unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year.
Now the Athletics will watch to see if Kurtz goes on a homer binge as they open a four-game series against the Texas Rangers on Monday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
Kurtz found that elusive first homer when he came up in the third inning of Sunday’s 1-0 road victory over the New York Mets. At-bat No. 48 was the drought-buster as Kurtz hit a low curveball from Freddy Peralta over the fence in right for the lone run of the contest.
Now comes the big question: Is a streak of long balls about to follow for Kurtz?
“I’m always hopeful for that,” he said. “But let’s worry about winning (Monday).”
The Athletics went 5-1 on a trip to New York, taking two of three games from the Yankees before sweeping three from the Mets. The five straight wins elevated the A’s into a first-place tie with the Rangers in the AL West.
Kurtz said the stellar play against the New York teams is a big statement.
“This proves us right in what we thought about ourselves,” he said. “(The Yankees and Mets) are two teams that you could see in the playoffs. It shows that we are good. We can win games against those types of teams.”
While winning the last five games, the Athletics pitched three shutouts and scored 11 runs in one of the victories.
Texas, meanwhile, dropped the first two contests of a three-game road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers before notching a 5-2 victory on Sunday.
Evan Carter homered and Brandon Nimmo had two hits and two RBIs to fuel the Rangers’ 10-hit attack.
“Balls put in play with runners on is always a good thing,” Carter told reporters. “Pressure on the defense, and the pitcher especially, it definitely means a lot more with runners on.”
Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 7.98 ERA) will take the mound for Texas on Monday after an encouraging effort in his last turn.
Eovaldi was torched for 11 runs in 8 2/3 innings while losing his first two outings before turning things around in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the visiting Seattle Mariners. He gave up two runs and six hits over six innings.
Eovaldi, 36, is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 12 career starts against the Athletics. He received a no-decision against the A’s last season when he gave up one run and six hits over six innings on April 30.
Shea Langeliers is 4-for-12 with a homer against Eovaldi.
A’s right-hander Luis Severino (0-1, 5.40 ERA) will pitch at home for the first time this season after three consecutive road starts.
Severino was not a fan of Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento last season, when he went 2-9 with a 6.01 ERA in 15 starts. He sharply criticized the facility in late June, suggesting the minor-league park wasn’t up to big-league standards.
The A’s will play at the ballpark until they move to Las Vegas for the 2028 campaign.
Severino’s last outing was against the Yankees in New York on Wednesday. He gave up two runs and four hits over five innings and received a no-decision in his team’s 3-2 win.
Severino, 32, is 2-2 with a 3.66 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts) against the Rangers. Last year, he started the game against Eovaldi and allowed one run and eight hits over five innings in a no-decision.
Texas’ Nimmo (5-for-10, one homer) and Jake Burger (5-for-16, two homers) have fared well against Severino, while Corey Seager is just 1-for-10.
–Field Level Media
