Aug 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) hits a RBI double against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Hot A's Offense to Face Struggling Minnesota Twins Starter

Originally posted on Oakland Athletics on SI
By Dylan Quinn | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Last night, the Athletics took the first game of the three-game set in Minnesota against their ace, Joe Ryan. With that win, the team has now won 15 of their last 23 games. This is at least partially thanks to a stellar offensive run by Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker, and company.

The A's are coming off a series at home against the Angels, where they scored a total of 22 runs in 3 games, and added 6 more last night in Minnesota. The scortching offense will face Bailey Ober tonight, as J.T. Ginn will be on the bump for the A's.

Ober holds a 5.15 ERA in 108 1/3 innings for the Twins this season, which leaves a little to be desired. Things haven't been looking good recently for Ober either, as he holds a 7.55 ERA in his last 7 starts, and a 1.42 WHIP during that time.

Even after getting roughed up last night, Joe Ryan still holds an impressive 2.77 ERA in 25 starts for the Twins, and yet the A's offense still did their thing and got the job done on the road.

Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Although Ober has struggled this season, he's done a pretty good job against the A's in the past. A's batters are 12-for-69 against him, which is a .174 average, and he's punched out 26 A's hitters. It will be interesting to see if the A's can stay hot, or will struggle with him like they have in the past.

The recent burst of offense for the A's is largely due to the breakout of AL Rookie of the Year lock, Nick Kurtz. The first baseman was drafted just last summer, and is batting to an incredible .429 with a 1.370 OPS in his last 30 games. In that span, he's hit 10 long balls.

Shea Langeliers has also been a huge part of the A's offense recently, as he is batting .344 with a 1.144 OPS and 15 home runs in his last 30 games. The backstop also has the most home runs in all of baseball since the All-Star break. So yes, he's incredibly hot, and has been a staple for the A's at the top of the order.

If the A's offense is able to dominate Bailey Ober tonight like they did to Joe Ryan last night, the A's can pick up the series win, and look for a sweep on Thursday with Jack Perkins on the mound.

Although the Athletics are looking pretty far out of postseason contention this season, don't count out the future of this club with all of the young talent showing out this season. They certainly have a lot of building blocks to work with for next year.

This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: