(Photo credit: Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

In a season going downhill for the Minnesota Twins, right-hander Joe Ryan has been a consistent force.

Ryan attempts to continue his strong season Tuesday night when the Twins open a three-game series against the Athletics in Minneapolis.

Ryan (12-5, 2.72 ERA) is one of baseball's winningest pitchers and ranks ninth in the majors in ERA.

The first-time All-Star has been hot in August with a 2-0 record and 2.04 ERA in three starts.

The 29-year-old is coming off an outing in which he beat the host New York Yankees. Ryan allowed one run and four hits over 6 2/3 innings of last Wednesday's 4-1 victory.

'It's fun. It's a special place to play baseball,' Ryan told reporters afterward of pitching in the Bronx. 'You want to beat them every time.'

Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli isn't surprised at the success of Ryan, who is one victory shy of matching his career high set in 2022.

'Joe Ryan's one of the best pitchers in baseball, and we just got a chance to watch him on a really big stage,' Baldelli said afterward. 'That was just an incredible outing for Joe.'

Ryan has been a bright spot in a dismal season for the Twins, who unloaded shortstop Carlos Correa and closer Jhoan Duran as well as other major leaguers at the trade deadline. Minnesota has won just 11 of its past 29 games.

Ryan is 2-0 with a 4.67 ERA in three career starts against the A's. He defeated them in West Sacramento, Calif., on June 2 when he allowed four runs and six hits over five innings.

Lawrence Butler hit a three-run homer off Ryan in that contest. Tyler Soderstrom (2-for-6) hit a two-run homer off Ryan in 2024.

Meanwhile, the Athletics just ended a six-game homestand in which they went 3-3 against the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels.

American League Rookie of the Year favorite Nick Kurtz ended a 15-game homerless stretch by going deep in two of the three games in the weekend series against the Angels.

Kurtz went into a power drought after his memorable four-homer game against the Houston Astros on July 25. Against the Angels, he went 5-for-11 and displayed good plate discipline with four walks.

'It all kind of goes together,' said Kurtz, who has 25 homers in 84 games. 'You start with seeing the ball well, and when you swing at the right pitches, good things can happen.'

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay had mentioned multiple times in recent weeks that teams were pitching differently to Kurtz after his epic game against Houston, when he was 6-for-6 with eight RBIs.

Still, Kurtz is batting .327 with a .453 on-base percentage in August, evidence that the 22-year-old is adept at making adjustments.

'I think (power) is one of the things for me that's going to come and go,' Kurtz said. 'Hopefully, when it comes, it comes in bunches.'

Left-hander Jacob Lopez (6-6, 3.30) will be on the mound for the A's on Tuesday.

Lopez, 27, has won three straight decisions and has not allowed a run in 24 innings over his last four starts. He has 28 strikeouts and allowed 14 hits and six walks during the stretch.

He blanked the Tampa Bay Rays on four hits over seven innings on Aug. 12. He struck out nine and walked none.

In his previous outing, Lopez fanned a career-best 10 while shutting out the Washington Nationals on three hits over 7 2/3 innings.

Lopez struck out nine in 4 1/3 innings while losing to the Twins on June 3 in his lone career start against them. He served up three homers while allowing five runs and five hits.

The now-departed Willi Castro hit two homers off Lopez and Trevor Larnach also hit one.

--Field Level Media