Nick Kurtz Is Crushing Bombs and the American League Is Already Panicking

Holy smokes, did you guys see what Nick Kurtz is doing right now? This dude has officially found his groove, and he's not just hitting homers, he's mashing absolute tanks! After a bit of a slow start, going homerless in the Athletics' first 13 games and then another 15-game drought, Kurtz has suddenly flipped a switch. We're talking three consecutive games with a dinger, including a go-ahead, three-run blast last night against the Giants. Seriously, the kid is on fire!

This Kid's Not Just Hot, He's Incinerating

You gotta give it up for Nick Kurtz, even if he's not wearing the green and blue. He's been absolutely lethal at the plate, going 5-for-10 over this three-game stretch. And get this: he's reached base in 38 consecutive games! That's the longest streak by an Athletics player since Jason Giambi pulled it off in both 1997 and 1998. Talk about getting on base, right? He looked for something early in the count against Tyler Mahle's first-pitch cutter last night and sent his eighth blast of the season sailing over the left-center wall. Remember, this 23-year-old was the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft and hammered 36 dingers last season, earning him unanimous American League Rookie of the Year honors. He said it himself: "I've been feeling better in batting practice and things are starting to come together a little bit. It takes time throughout the season, you may come out hot, you may come out cold and then get hot. It's a roller coaster of emotions." Well, the roller coaster is definitely on the "hot" track now!

Giants Can't Catch a Break, Even with Arraez Dealing

While Kurtz is tearing it up, the Giants are struggling to keep pace. They actually went 5-1 against the Athletics last season, but this year's first matchup did not go their way, falling 5-2. Luis Arraez and Harrison Bader both hit solo shots for San Francisco, but the team left a whopping 10 men on base and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. That's a brutal stat line, leading to their 8-15 road record. Arraez had a monster four-hit game, his 23rd time with four or more hits, but even he knew it wasn't enough. "It's good for me but it's not good for the team," he said. "We want to win the game." Their manager, Tony Vitello, still insisted they played a solid game. "As a coaching staff, you have to feel like if we played like we did, the law of percentages like that is we win the game. I thought the team played real well." Even with that optimism, left fielder Heliot Ramos had to leave Friday's game due to right quadriceps tightness and won't be available Saturday. Tough break for them.

Pitching Matchups and What to Watch For

Tonight, the Athletics send right-hander Luis Severino to the mound. He's 2-4 with a 4.07 ERA this season, and while he's allowed just five runs over his last four starts, he did lose his last two. Last Sunday, he gave up two runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings. At Sutter Health Park, he's 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in three starts, and last year he was 2-9 with a 6.01 ERA in 15 home starts. Historically against the Giants, he's 0-2 with a 3.47 ERA, shutting down guys like Rafael Devers and Matt Chapman in the past, but struggling with Arraez and Willy Adames. For San Francisco, right-hander Trevor McDonald makes his third start of the season. He's 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA and looked sharp against the Padres on May 4, giving up just one run over seven innings. He then gave up three runs over 5 1/3 innings against the Dodgers. This 25-year-old has never faced the A's before, so it'll be interesting to see how he handles their lineup.

So, the big question for Saturday night? Can Nick Kurtz keep this unbelievable power surge going and make it four dingers in four games? The American League is on notice, folks, and you know we'll be watching to see if this kid can keep hitting them out of the park!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.