WEST SACRAMENTO – The Athletics knew they were welcoming a Rangers club that was desperate to stay alive in a crowded Wild Card race, and they felt it throughout this weekend’s series.
Sunday’s 9-6 loss to Texas at Sutter Health Park capped a three-game sweep, and the sense of urgency for the Rangers was evident. Despite the absence of key injured players such as Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, they jumped out to an early lead in all three games and combined to outscore the A’s by 12 runs (23-11).
Even with this losing skid, which followed a three-game sweep over the Tigers, August will go down as a success for the A’s. They finished 15-12 for the month and are now tied with the Red Sox for the best record (21-13) in the American League since July 24.
“[The Rangers] came in here playing good baseball and swinging the bats well, and that’s what they did this series,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “Overall, the month was good. We’ve got a month left to continue to make strides.”
Now comes September. With an overall record of 63-75, the A’s have more than a decent shot to improve upon last season’s win total of 69, which was one of their goals entering the season. With 24 games remaining, that would require them to go 7-17. Of course, the A’s are aiming for a much better finish than that.
Here’s a look at what the A’s hope to see over this final stretch of the regular season:
A strong finish for the rookie sensations
Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson have performed as arguably the top two rookies in baseball for the entire 2025 season, but both are now going through uncharted territory as professionals.
The two rookies have blown well past their previous career highs in games played. Including his four rehab games at Triple-A Las Vegas, Wilson played his 106th game of the season on Sunday. The most games he’d played in one season before 2025 was 59 at Grand Canyon University in '22.
Kurtz, who has missed the previous two games after exiting Friday’s game with right oblique soreness, has played in 115 games combined between the Minors and Majors this year. Before this year, 56 games were the most he’d played in one season, coming in 2023 at Wake Forest.
The A’s are hopeful Kurtz, the overwhelming favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year, can return on this upcoming road trip, which begins Monday in St. Louis.
Wilson, meanwhile, has picked up where he left off. Since returning from the injured list on Aug. 22, the shortstop is 11-for-33 (.333) with two doubles, a home run and 10 RBIs in eight games, including three hits on Sunday. For the season, Wilson is batting .313 and leads all qualified rookies in batting average and hits (126).
“It’s a six-month grind, and every team goes through it,” Kotsay said. “That’s a test that I want to see some of these young players really leave that impression for next season.”
Get the pitching to the finish line
Speaking of tests, this A’s rotation is going through one right now. After losing Jack Perkins and Jacob Lopez to the injured list last week, the A’s are essentially down to four healthy starters, and one of those is Mason Barnett, who made his Major League debut on Saturday and is uncertain to remain in the rotation going forward.
The rotation will get a boost on Tuesday with Luis Severino expected to come off the IL, but the A’s still are counting on a starting staff with rookies such as Luis Morales and J.T. Ginn, who took the mound on Sunday and struck out seven but allowed five runs on five hits and two walks in six innings.
“We’ve got a lot of guys out,” Kotsay said. “We lost a big starter in Lopez that was having a lot of success and another big arm in Perkins that was really stepping up and coming into his own. Guys have to step up.”
Compete with the best
Of the A’s final 24 games, 18 will come against current playoff contenders in the Cardinals, Red Sox, Reds, Astros and Royals. Even the two series against non-contenders in the Angels and Pirates line up for the A’s to face top arms such as Paul Skenes, José Soriano and Yusei Kikuchi.
“Rest of the month, there’s a gauntlet ahead of us,” Kotsay said. “It’s Skenes, [Garrett] Crochet, faced [Tarik] Skubal. We’re facing the best, and we love that challenge.”