Oakland A's: Offense Explodes Post Break

If hitting is contagious, the Oakland A’s have the plague.

Despite losing on Thursday, the A’s still banged out eight runs on 10 hits with a pair of big flies. Since the All-Star break, the A’s offense has been infinitely better.

If you’d asked me who would have the highest team batting two weeks after the All-Star break, I’d probably have guessed the Yankees, Red Sox or Rangers. And I would have been wrong. Even if I guessed another 10 teams, I’d still be wrong.

Why?

Because the Oakland A’s have the highest team batting average since the All-Star break. Not just in the AL but in all of the majors.

And they’ve outhit the other teams by a mile. Going into Thursday’s game the A’s were hitting at a .321 clip as a team. The next closest is the rangers at .310.

How do ask? Who on the A’s actually hitting?

Practically everyone.

The A’s are on a torrid offensive pace post break. They’ve scored 80 runs in 13 games, with 144 hits and 11 home runs. Considering the A’s team total now stands at 63, 11 in 13 games is quite a power surge.

Matsui has really been the catalyst; perhaps playing frequently in the outfield has something to do with it? Post break Matsui’s hitting .444 with three homers and 17 RBI.

He was named AL Player of the week after slugging his way through the Bronx including his 501st home run and a 5-for-5 day at the plate.

Cliff Pennington is not far behind Matsui’s pace. Cliff’s batting .487 after the break with a pair of home runs and eight RBI.  Pennington and Matsui are second and fourth respectively in batting during that time.

Bob Melvin deserves some credit for this resurgence. For one, he decided on day one that Matsui should play every day and hit third. I don’t really know why, but consistency in the order is good for hitters.

Melvin also plays with a relatively set lineup. For the last month the lineup has been: Weeks, Crisp, Matsui, Willingham, Jackson, DeJesus, Suzuki, Sizemore and Pennington.

That lineup has paid dividends. The players and coaches deserve all the credit for this resurgence.

Something must be in the water, that’s the only way to explain it. Ironically, the pitching staff has been the one that’s faltered of late. Luckily the offense has picked up the slack.

Will this hot hitting last? Probably not, but this is the perfect time of year for the A’s to get hot.

They could really benefit if they are able to flip a few of their hot veterans for solid B level and above prospects.

This article also featured on Bayseball.com