After Feasting on Astros Pitching in 2025, Nick Kurtz Faces New Test in 2026
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You could make an easy case that the Houston Astros are the one divisional opponent that the A's should not want to face this weekend, given that they sit atop the AL West at 5-2, have won five games in a row after dropping their first two to the Los Angeles Angels, and they have the best run-scoring offense in the American League.
None of these are great signs for a struggling A's team.
That said, Nick Kurtz loved facing the Astros last season, going 21-for-42 (.500) with a .543 OBP and a 1.286 OPS in ten games played. He also notched that historic four-homer game in Houston and ended up taking Astros pitchers deep nine times overall. If there is one bat that could wake up this series, it's his.
Pitching matchups could change that outcome in 2026
The Houston Astros are set to send out Cristian Javier, Tatsuya Imai and Lance McCullers Jr.—two of those three being pitchers Kurtz has yet to face. The A's first baseman was able to get a couple of at-bats against Javier in September of last season, going 1-for-3 with a double and a strikeout.
The reason this matters is because pitchers seem to have a book on Kurtz so far this season, throwing him way more offspeed pitches, which gives them a clear advantage until he makes his adjustment. Being familiar with a pitcher's mix and how those offerings move would have been one way to swing that back in his favor.
Imai made his MLB debut in his first start against the Angels, and he lasted just 2 2/3 innings, giving up three hits and four earned runs, walking four and striking out four. If the A's were able to get him to issue that many walks in such a condensed timeframe yet again, they would likely be in business. His nerves will also be settled a bit more for this one.
Lance McCullers Jr. has been a solid pitcher over his career against the A's, holding a 3.32 ERA in 15 starts spanning 84 innings of work. The current version of the A's lineup is only responsible for 20 at-bats of the 356 A's batters he has faced in his career, so that success may not exactly translate.
The current version of the roster is 5-for-20 (.250) against him, with Brent Rooker going 2-for-6 with a double and an RBI, and Jacob Wilson going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. The other hit is from Shea Langeliers, who has gone 1-for-3.
Lawrence Butler, Denzel Clarke and Tyler Soderstrom have combined to go 0-for-8 with six strikeouts against the Houston righty.
Friday, April 3: LHP Jeffrey Springs (0-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. RHP Cristian Javier (0-0, 11.57)
Saturday, April 4: RHP Luis Morales (0-1, 10.38) vs. RHP Tatsuya Imai (0-0, 13.50)
Sunday, April 5: LHP Jacob Lopez (0-1, 6.75) vs. RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (1-0, 1.29)
A's offense will need to wake up
The A's offense has put up just 17 runs in six games thus far, and in order to have a winning weekend against Houston they will have to score more than 2.83 runs per contest. Javier and Imai in particular may leave the door open for the A's offense to strike, and the green and gold will have to come up with the big hits in those scenarios.
The reason for this is because the Houston offense is the best in baseball a week into the season, as the entire team has a wRC+ of 143 (100 is league average). The A's are way down at 51 after tough series against the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves, leaving them last in the league.
The A's pitching staff has been decent thus far, holding a cumulative 4.33 ERA, ranking them No. 23 in the game entering play on Friday. Houston's 4.57 ERA ranks them just behind the A's at No. 25. They've been allowing more walks than the A's (36 to 29), but have also allowed fewer hits (50 to 48) despite having one extra game under their belts.
That difference in hits allowed holds extra weight because it also comes with Houston pitchers totaling 11 more innings than A's arms, while still giving up two fewer hits. Astros pitching won't provide many opportunities, so the A's bats will have to take advantage when they get them.
One final note is that the A's bullpen ERA of 2.52 (3.65 FIP) is off to a top-10 start, while the Houston bullpen and its 4.28 ERA ranks 18th. Late innings could come into play for the A's in this series.
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Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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