A's Win Back-to-Back Series Against Rangers, White Sox

They came back to Sutter Health Park and took 2 out of 3 games from both the Rangers and White Sox, in large part to a few heroes on the mound and in the batter's box.

Apr 25, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics pitcher Mason Miller (19) celebrates after defeating the Chicago White Sox at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

It took a valiant effort and contributions up and down the entire 26-man roster, but the A's end their six-game homestand in West Sacramento winning back-to-back series, taking two out of three games from both the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox.

We saw the A's first walk-off of 2025, as Jacob Wilson delivered the clutch hit to defeat the Rangers, and another on Sunday in extra-innings when Luis Urías stepped up to the plate with a towering home run to left field to give the A's a 3-2 victory in extras.

This ball was absolutely crushed by Urías to win it. Went past the A’s clubhouse in left. pic.twitter.com/X7MY8yQ2rl

— Jason Burke (@ByJasonB) April 27, 2025

They find themselves back to .500, and have shaped an identity for themselves. This A's team has shown they have a knack for "answering back." Whether that's making adjustments after a loss, or in the game itself, they have shown they have a never say die attitude that will put them in a position to win.

In the first game against the White Sox on Friday, the A's erased a deficit twice from 1-0 and 3-1 in a back-and-forth game between the clubs. Tyler Soderstrom was 3-for 4 on the day, and Brent Rooker also came up in the clutch with a double to score the go-ahead run. The A's pitching took over from there, as Mason Miller earned his eighth save of the season.

In the fifth inning, Jacob Wilson threw across his body to throw out Joshua Palacios with runners on first and third to end the White Sox rally. "That’s a play a Major League shortstop makes,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “We’re watching a kid become a Major League shortstop, an everyday shortstop, in front of our eyes."

In the Bay Area this weekend, the San Francisco Giants honored Brandon Crawford in a retirement ceremony. The legendary Gold Glove shortstop would routinely make hard plays look easy.

Longtime Giants coach Ron Wotus had described what made Crawford the best at what he did. "Tremendous hands, a strong, accurate arm, and he's got a great feel for the position and the nuances of the positioning." As the A's look to their future, they see those kind of qualities in one of their own.

Drafted out of Grand Canyon University in 2023, defense was something Wilson was known for on the college circuit. His head coach, Gregg Wallis, who remembers recruiting Jacob as a teenager said, "Every ball he threw, he'd throw to the chest. It was almost like he had a GPS on the first baseman," he said.

Now in the Majors, he is also making headlines with his approach at the plate, deemed one of the most interesting hitters in MLB this season. "Jacob did not like to strikeout and had a great two-strike approach. He was the hardest guy to strike out in the country," Wallis added. The A's have already seen this pay dividends in his young career.

On Saturday afternoon, the White Sox came out aggressively, pinning five earned runs to starter Jeffrey Springs and scoring ten runs total. Chicago swung the bat well from positions one through nine, with all earning either a hit or RBI. For the A's, newcomer Nick Kurtz went 1-for-4 on the day with an RBI for the Athletics.

The rubber match on Sunday looked to be a pitcher's duel from the start. The A's gave up a run in the top half of the first, but then responded in the bottom half to tie it at 1-1. The game remained scoreless the rest of the way, and ended up in extra innings.

Once again, they showed great resiliency, with their bullpen putting up 4.2 innings of shutout baseball, something that is shaping up to be one of the A's biggest strengths.

When they needed a hero, a collection of different players are able to come up with the big hit. On Sunday, that was Luis Urías, who delivered a two-run home run in the home half of the tenth inning. It was a fitting way to end the homestand, one that was full of celebrations and emotion in West Sacramento.

Now, the A's head back on the road to Texas and Miami, two teams they should play well against. It will be special to see rookie Nick Kurtz, who made his debut on this homestand, relish his first at-bats at MLB ballparks in Arlington and Miami. A's fans are hoping Kurtz will continue to add to his season of "firsts" by picking up some home runs on the road.

Two left-handed pitchers will duel in Texas, as JP Sears will start for the A's against Ranger southpaw Patrick Corbin. First pitch is set for Monday evening at 5:05pm (PT) at Global Life Field.