Three Storylines for Texas Rangers vs. A's Series
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Coming into the 2025 MLB season, the Texas Rangers were considered the slight favorites over teams like the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners to win the AL West. The Athletics see themselves in that mix as well, and after splitting their opening series with the Mariners, they have faced mostly National League squads, as well as the Chicago White Sox.
If the A's want to insert themselves into the divisional race, winning this series is certainly one way to do that. The Rangers (13-9) currently lead the West by one game over the M's and 1.5 games over the Los Angeles Angels.
Over the weekend, the Rangers were shut out twice at home by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but all three games were close. The A's, meanwhile, dropped two of three to the Milwaukee Brewers, with the first two games being tight, and then the finale being a 14-1 romp at the A's expense.
Now that we've set the scene a little bit, let's take a look ahead to the three-game set in Sacramento that begins tonight.
Nick Kurtz Set for MLB Debut
It came out on Monday that A's No. 1 prospect Nick Kurtz would be getting the call today. Kurtz has played all of 32 games in the minor leagues since being the No. 4 overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft.
In those 32 games split between three levels, the first baseman has hit .332 with a .432 OBP, 11 home runs, 37 RBI, and has knocked down any challenges thrown his way. The A's have been aggressive with promoting him since he was drafted, so after an excellent three weeks in Triple-A to begin 2025, it's not terribly surprising that he's getting the call.
It also shows how much the A's would like to win this series against a divisional foe. It's not like they're particularly hurting at first base, with Tyler Soderstrom tied for the lead in home runs this season with nine, as well as being a top-5 offensive first baseman in the league.
As a team, the A's offense ranks No. 7 in wRC+ (115), and No. 17 in runs scored. That said, the Rangers rank 30th out of 30 teams in runs this season, putting up just 67 total.
How Kurtz, or more specifically, Soderstrom, will fit into the lineup now will be interesting to see unfold, but with both bats in there for the A's, they figure to keep crushing as a unit.
Strength vs. Strength
The A's offense is the strength of the team in the early going, though they're not a juggernaut group that can put up five runs against anybody. Brent Rooker is hitting dingers (six, so far), but is batting just .234 in the early going. JJ Bleday is batting .211 and has been slightly below league average overall.
There is still room for this group to improve, though they're getting nice steps forward from some of their younger players as well.
While the Rangers haven't been scoring at the clip they'd hoped, they still lead the division because of their tremendous pitching staff. As a team, they rank fourth in ERA with a 3.23, led by Tyler Mahle, who holds a 0.68 ERA through five starts. The Rangers rotation's 2.85 ERA ranks second in baseball.
The relievers have been closer to league average, holding a 3.82 mark while ranking No. 17 in the league. The A's 4.65 reliever's ERA is a bit inflated due to a couple of blowout games, but they have been fairly good for the most part. Mason Miller and Justin Sterner have yet to allow a run to cross the plate.
Former Ranger José Leclerc holds a 6.23 ERA with his new club.
The projected pitching matchups for the series are: Osvaldo Bido (2-1, 2.61) vs. Patrick Corbin (1-0, 3.86 ERA) on Tuesday, JP Sears (2-2, 3.13 ERA) vs. Kumar Rocker (1-2, 6.38) on Wednesday, and J.T. Ginn (1-1, 3.60) vs. Jacob deGrom (0-1, 3.32) in the finale on Thursday.
The A's should have a chance in all three games, depending on how long deGrom goes in his outing. In his last start he went seven innings against the Dodgers, but before that he'd been unable to finish six in his previous three starts. If the A's can turn it over to the Ranger bullpen after five, then they could be in good position here.
Wyatt Langford has returned
After landing on the IL with an oblique strain in early April, 23-year-old Wyatt Langford returned to the lineup in the finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. Outside of Josh Smith and his .516 BABIP to begin the season, Langford has been the biggest piece of the Rangers offense in 2025.
Entering the A's series, Langford is batting .250 with a .346 OBP and four home runs. His wRC+ sits at 155. While the Rangers have struggled to score runs, Langford has been a big bat in the middle of their order.
Former Oakland A's shortstop Marcus Semien is off to an awful start, holding an 18 wRC+, 82% below league average, and newcomer Jake Burger hasn't been much better with a 46.
The Rangers offense could use a spark, and the return of Langford is certainly something to keep an eye on.
Much like the Brewers, who ran all over Jeffrey Springs and the A's on Sunday, the Rangers also enjoy swiping some bags. Milwaukee is ranked No. 1 in stolen bases with 33 (including nine on Sunday), while Texas is down at tenth with 20. The A's rank last with six.
The reason that this could come into play is because of the park factors at Sutter Health that we took a look at recently. When a ball is hit in the gap, it tends to scoot pretty quickly and will oftentimes reach the wall. With the Rangers being built for speed, that could become an advantage for the visitors in this series.
Game 1 is set for first pitch on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. (PT).
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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