Chapman out after case of stomach flu
HOUSTON — A’s third baseman Matt Chapman came down with a stomach flu that briefly sent him to the hospital Wednesday, manager Bob Melvin said, and Chapman did not play against the Astros.
“He woke up with it this morning, pretty dehydrated, actually went to the hospital for a little bit, got an IV,” Melvin said. “So it’s not just a normal illness — it’s something that sapped him pretty good.”
Melvin, talking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, said Chapman recently had been released from the hospital: “They got some fluids in him and they were comfortable letting him out.”
Chapman has picked up offensively of late, reaching base in 22 straight games dating to June 11. He is hitting .299 with six home runs, 18 RBIs and a .367 OBP during that stretch. His batting average is .230, close to its highest point this season. His OPS of .721 remains second lowest among eight A’s players with at least 200 plate appearances.
Wednesday marked the fourth game Chapman has not started the A’s this season. Chad Pinder was in the lineup at third base.
Different look: Reliever Sam Moll, acquired from Arizona in a trade last week, pitched briefly with the A’s in 2017 but said Wednesday: “I don’t even think I’m the same pitcher” now.
Moll said he used mostly a fourseam fastball and slider in 2017. In 2019, in the Giants’ system, he switched to a sinkercutter combination working with coordinator of pitching sciences Matt Daniels. Moll later changed the cutter grip into what he now terms a slider.
Moll, a lefthander, had a 5.82 ERA in 21 games for TripleA Reno before Arizona traded him to the A’s for cash. Lefthanded hitters, though, were 5for43 with 23 strikeouts. Moll has yet to appear for the A’s this season.
On Hale: Melvin said he is “really excited” for Chip Hale, a former part of Melvin’s coaching staffs in Oakland and Arizona, who was named head coach at the University of Arizona this week. Hale is an Arizona alum and was part of the 1986 team that won the College World Series.
“He’s done a lot in baseball, and this really kind of a dream job for him,” Melvin said. “He got to manage the Diamondbacks, but I think this is one he just couldn’t pass up. … He’s lived in Tucson for I don’t know how many years, part of a championship there and a kind of college legend there in Tucson, so this is a perfect fit for him.”