Minneapolis, August 19(HS): Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan returns to the mound Tuesday night, determined to extend his dominant campaign as his team welcomes the Oakland Athletics for a three-game series at Target Field. In a season marred by inconsistency, Ryan has remained a stalwart performer, ranking ninth in MLB ERA and earning All-Star honors for the first time.
Ryan, 29, enters the matchup on a hot streak, boasting a 2-0 record with a slim 2.04 ERA across his three August starts. His recent performance against the New York Yankees stood out: Ryan surrendered just one run and four hits over 6 2/3 frames to secure a 4-1 victory. “It’s fun. It’s a special place to play baseball… You want to beat them every time,” Ryan remarked after handling the pressure in the Bronx spotlight.
Despite the Twins’ late-season struggles and trade deadline departures—shortstop Carlos Correa and closer Jhoan Duran among them—Ryan remains just one win shy of matching his career high set in 2022. Manager Rocco Baldelli lauded Ryan’s consistency, calling his last outing “incredible” and noting, “Joe Ryan’s one of the best pitchers in baseball, and we just got a chance to watch him on a really big stage.”
Facing Ryan will be a surging Athletics squad, fresh off a .500 homestand. Rookie sensation Nick Kurtz, considered a frontrunner for American League Rookie of the Year, rediscovered his power stroke, homering twice against the Angels after a 15-game drought. Kurtz’s August stats—.327 batting average and .453 OBP—highlight his ability to adjust as pitchers treat him with increasing caution since his four-homer explosion against Houston.
Oakland counters with left-hander Jacob Lopez, who has not surrendered a run in his last 24 innings and rides a three-game winning streak. Lopez dazzled in recent starts, striking out 28 while allowing just 14 hits and six walks through four starts. He blanked the Rays for seven innings on August 12 and fanned a career-best 10 Nationals in his previous outing.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
