Khris Davis elicits MVP chants after another big game
OAKLAND — Davis homered for the third straight game in Tuesday’s 6-0 win over the Rangers in front of 11,579 fans at the Coliseum.
The two-run bomb came in the seventh as Davis smacked a 2-1 fastball from Matt Moore over the wall in right field to give the A’s (76-50) a commanding six-run lead, with fans chanting “MVP!” as he rounded the bases and made his way back to the dugout.
Having already driven in his 100th RBI of the season earlier in the game, the homer was Davis’ 38th of the year, tying him with Martinez for the major league lead. With 17 home runs in 29 games since the All Star break, Davis will easily crush the 40 home run, 100 RBI mark for the third consecutive season. But doing it in a year where the A’s are battling with the Houston Astros, tied for first in the AL West after Tuesday’s win, should merit some extra consideration when it comes to MVP voting, even with a crowded group of qualified candidates.
Davis may not have the high batting average like the other guys, sitting at .263 as of Tuesday night, but he’s the heart that makes the A’s offense go.
Brett Anderson continued what has been a dominant run not just by him, but the entire A’s starting rotation.
For the third time in his last four starts, Anderson completed at least seven innings without allowing a run as he tossed seven shutout innings of onehit ball against the Rangers (56-72) before handing it over to Jeurys Familia and Lou Trivino for the final two innings.
Since July 30, A’s starting pitchers have posted a 1.99 ERA with 91 strikeouts over 113 1/3 innings over 19 games. Once thought of as the weak link of this club, the rotation has caught up to what has been a high-powered offense and dominant bullpen for most of the year.
— Mike Fiers doesn’t have that power fastball like Jacob deGrom, Chris Archer, or other big name pitchers that fans were clamoring for at the trade deadline, but he might ending up being the most valuable acquisition of any club this season if the A’s end up holding on to their current playoff spot.
Since the A’s brought Fiers in from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for two players to be named later, the right-hander has been absolutely dominant. The A’s have won each of Fiers’ three starts, and he’s gone 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA.
Fiers’ overall stuff has been eye-opening in his time with the A’s, displaying pinpoint command with as he’s allowed just one walk over 18 1/3 innings while striking out 21 batters, including a season-high eight in Monday’s 9-0 victory over the Rangers.
Aside from the increased strikeout totals, Fiers is pretty much performing the same way he was most of the year in Detroit. He had allowed three runs or
less in 11 of his previous 12 starts prior to coming to Oakland, yet all throughout the lead up to the trade deadline the A’s were really the only club who kept coming up in trade rumors when it came to the right hander.
Why was there not much hype surrounding Fiers at the deadline? A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson thinks it’s product of this new age of flame-throwing pitchers and a fascination with the numbers they put up on the radar gun as opposed to the stat sheet.
“I think if you look at the game today, you’re looking at tools of players. Everybody looks up and they want to see 100 mph. They want to see a lot of punch outs. He might not be that guy, but he’s a polished pitcher,” Emerson said of Fiers. “It’s like somebody rating your system and calling this guy your fourth-best prospect in the organization and yet he doesn’t have any numbers to support that but great stuff. In Fiers’ case, he has the stats to back up what he’s doing. It’s a great addition to our team and I think a lot of publicity is given to the hard throwers. We want pitchers. We don’t want minor league throwers.”
Fiers normally reaches about 92 mph with his fastball on a good day, but he makes up for that with good movement and precise placement of his pitches.
As for the increase in strikeouts, Emerson said a big part of that is Jonathan Lucroy. The A’s catcher carries around a thick binder with information a countless number of hitters around the league. The two will meet in the clubhouse pregame to go over each hitter and their tendencies, something Fiers didn’t do as much of with the Tigers.
“We spend a lot of time putting together a plan before the game. At first he’s not one of the type of guys who wants a lot of information, but our catchers are gonna have a lot of information whether he likes it or not,” Emerson said. “Lucroy will get all the information that we want to lead him in the right direction and use his pitches efficiently.”
— Ramón Laureano continued to make the most of his increased playing time as he followed up a two-homer game with by going 2 for 4 with a pair of singles Tuesday night.
With Mark Canha struggling as of late with no home runs and just a .125 batting average in August, Laureano could find himself starting even more games now that his bat is catching up to his spectacular defense.
“We saw the athletic ability in spring and you’re seeing it now. He’s got five tools,” Melvin said. “For him to be contributing in the fashion he is is impressive.”