Lawrie brings his A’s game to coast
FORMER TORONTO FAVOURITE: Oft-injured while with the Blue Jays, he’s been able to stay healthy in Oakland
HOUSTON
The only difference 40 games into his new career is the colour of his T-shirt. Brett Lawrie’s tattoos are the same. He still talks at 98 m.p.h. He has just walked into the hallway from the weight room inside the visiting clubhouse at Minute Maid Park Monday night.
The only difference between Brett Lawrie, new Oakland A’s third baseman, at the quarter pole of the 2015 season and a year ago is that he now wears a green shirt.
“It’s been awesome here, to see how another organization works. We have it all here, we’ve had a ton of one-run losses, we haven’t had that hammer punch out yet, but it’s been a pleasure playing here even though we are scuffling a little. We’re not going to let that bug us,” said Lawrie, when asked how he was enjoying his new club.
Jays’ fans were over the moon for the Langley native from the time he arrived in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers at the 2010 winter meetings in Orlando.
The Jays sent starter Shaun Marcum to the Brewers.
Last year, the Jays sold game-worn jerseys, the most popular being Jose Bautista for $1,500.
But Munenori Kawasaki and Lawrie’s went for $1,000 a pop.
“I’ve been traded before. I’m not angry with Alex (Anthopoulos) or anyone,” said Lawrie, shipped west with right-handers Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin, plus shortstop Franklin Barreto for third baseman Josh Donaldson.
You thought the Blue Jays — four games under .500 after Monday afternoon’s 10-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — were struggling?
The A’s, 1-13 in one-run games, had a 13-26 record, the worst mark in the majors, when they faced Lance McCullers of the Houston Astros in his major-league debut on Monday.
Lawrie is hitting .255 with two homers, 14 RBIs and a .640 OPS. He’s made six errors.
“It doesn’t matter what our record is, this is a good bunch, the talent is here, we need to find that hammer punch to win some games,” Lawrie said.
Lawrie says he doesn’t follow the Blue Jays on a daily basis, but he did know that the Jays were swept by the Astros this past weekend.
The big concern the Jays had about Lawrie was not a lack of respect for his abilities, but they worried if he could stay healthy enough to contribute.
He arrived Aug. 5, 2011, and of the next 538 games the Jays played, he made 311 starts which works to 57.8 per cent.
“He’s fit in well,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin.
“He plays as hard as anyone in the league and brings energy to the clubhouse and the lineup.
“He doesn’t care where he hits in the lineup.
“He has been healthy ... he’s had one day off of the first 40 games.”
Lawrie did text spring training housemate and ex-Jays teammate Adam Lind the other day to see how life was “with the new manager.”
Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke was fired after 25 games with Craig Counsell taking over.
Adjusting to new managers is nothing knew to Lind who played for John Gibbons 1.0, Cito Gaston 2.0, John Farrell and Gibbons 2.0 during his Jays days.
Lawrie said he has not yet noticed the extra strain of travelling — something the west coast players often complain about.
The A’s have already have had their two longest trips: an 11-game trip (Arlington, Tex., Minneapolis and Seattle) (and a 10-gamer to Houston, Kansas City and Anaheim) off the books, so they have 15 home dates in August and 14 in September.
“Fans in Oakland are loud, loud, loud, especially in right field,” said Lawrie. “They treat us well. There is a good energy in the park.”
So, who won the Jays-A’s trade of third basemen?
“When the baseball numbers stack at the end of the year we’ll see,” said Lawrie.