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Jacob Wilson of the Athletics was the main candidate for American League Rookie of the Yr for many of this season.

However teammate Nick Kurtz is within the means of taking up the pole place.

The 2 rookies have created optimism for the membership’s future and the Athletics are having fun with a sizzling streak as they open a three-game collection in opposition to the Seattle Mariners at West Sacramento, Calif.

The Athletics are in search of a season-best fifth straight win after annihilating the Houston Astros in a four-game street sweep.

The A’s outscored Houston 32-7 for his or her first four-game sweep throughout supervisor Mark Kotsay’s 3 1/2 seasons on the helm.

“That was large for us to win 4 video games excessive seed in our division,” Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler stated after Sunday’s 7-1 win. “It says what sort of crew we’re. We’re at all times grinding. … We will go into Sacramento with some momentum.”

Kurtz was the prime pressure for the Athletics regardless of sitting out Sunday on account of a drained decrease physique. He went 11-for-15 within the collection with 9 RBIs.

The 22-year-old etched his title into baseball lore with one of many high particular person outings in historical past. Kurtz went 6-for-6 with 4 homers, eight RBIs, six runs and a whopping 19 complete bases in Friday’s 15-3 romp over Houston.

Kurtz has performed in 67 video games for the A’s after opening the season with 20 appearances for Triple-A Las Vegas. He additionally made one rehab look at Class A Stockton for a complete of 88 video games. He has by no means performed that many video games in a season at any degree.

“I am studying as I’m going,” Kurtz stated. “I am making an attempt to determine what I have to do within the coaching room and weight room to arrange myself each day. I am studying from the blokes who’ve been there and executed that.”

Chosen fourth total within the 2024 draft after hitting 61 homers in 164 school video games at Wake Forest, Kurtz has displayed spectacular uncooked energy this season. He’s batting .309 with 23 homers, 59 RBIs and a .683 slugging share.

On the identical time, Wilson is in a 4-for-38 rut to see his common drop to .312. The beginning shortstop within the All-Star Recreation for the American League missed three video games of the Houston collection with a lingering left hand damage and he could sit once more Monday.

Seattle, after all, has its personal participant doing massive issues in All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh.

Raleigh hit homers in every of the final two video games of a four-game set in Anaheim in opposition to the Los Angeles Angels. He leads the majors with 41 and is the primary catcher and first switch-hitter in MLB historical past to succeed in 40 homers earlier than the tip of July.

The Mariners, who misplaced 4-1 on Sunday, are tied for second within the AL West with the Texas Rangers and the identical golf equipment are knotted for the third and ultimate wild-card spot.

Will probably be no shock if Seattle makes a transfer or two previous to Thursday’s commerce deadline.

“We do have another areas we might like to handle — and never the least of which is, like each different crew within the postseason hunt, we might like so as to add to that bullpen,” Mariners normal supervisor Jerry Dipoto stated on Sirius radio Sunday.

Proper-hander Luis Castillo (7-6, 3.30 ERA) begins for Seattle in opposition to left-hander JP Sears (7-8, 4.98) of the Athletics.

Castillo, 32, misplaced to the A’s on March 28 when he gave up two runs and three hits over 5 innings. He’s 3-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 46 2/3 innings over eight profession begins in opposition to the Athletics.

Sears, 29, misplaced to Seattle on March 30 when he allowed two runs and 5 hits over 6 2/3 innings. He’s 2-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 57 1/3 innings over 10 appearances (9 begins) in opposition to the Mariners.

Raleigh is 2-for-12 with a homer off Sears.

–Discipline Stage Media