The Oakland Athletics are just 9-21 since the All-Star Break, but the team has become much more interesting to watch thanks to the call ups of Zack Gelof, Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler. Gelof was 1-for-4 in Friday’s loss to the Orioles, but has hit safely in seven of his last eight games. He has two four-hit performances in that group and is hitting .362/.422/.741 through 15 games in August.
Butler recorded the first multi-hit game of his career Friday and is 7-for-25 with two doubles and a homer over his first seven games. Things have been tougher for Soderstrom, but he has hit safely in five of his last six games as well.