By now, the comeback A’s aren’t catching anybody by surprise
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — By now, most everyone in baseball realizes the Oakland Athletics are rarely out of it. Almost no deficit is too daunting for a rallying cry, which could be led by any number of sluggers in a loaded lineup.
Never before in his managerial career has Bob Melvin been around a club with such a knack for comebacks, for winning the close ones in the late innings despite what might seem insurmountable odds.
Lately, other teams in contention have added to their rosters to try to do the same down the stretch of the season.
During a recent trip in Texas, the A’s rallied from behind 10- 2 to beat the Rangers 13- 10 by scoring 11 runs over the final four innings and getting a three-run homer by Khris Davis in the 10th. They have earned a reputation around baseball — in both leagues, on both coasts and in between — for their ability to keep swinging for the fences and pitch when trailing at any stage of a game.
“I think it’s a momentum aspect,” Davis said. “You’ve just got to keep playing the game the right way, what we expect of each other. We’re just looking to do our jobs and luckily we’re having a great time doing it right now.”
Oakland is right on the heels of reigning World Series champion Houston in the AL West, the A’s trailing the Astros by five games going into their day off Thursday. The small- budget franchise hasn’t reached the playoffs since losing the AL wild card game in 2014, finishing last in the division the past three seasons.
“It’s a fantastic team. We certainly have the ability to be a playoff team,” second baseman Jed Lowrie said. “At this point it’s got to be a narrow focus. Keep the eye on the prize but narrow the focus.”
The A’s didn’t get their 60th win until Sept. 8 last year and already reached that mark by July 25 in 2018.
They were 27- 7 since June 16 before being swept in a three-game weekend series at Colorado from July 27- 29, then swept the Blue Jays and Tigers in back-to-back series.
New Oakland reliever Shawn Kelley was playing in Washington and went to bed before the A’s were done most days but still had heard plenty about the penchant for finding a way to win late.