On a warm August afternoon, with their team long since rendered irrelevant in the 2017 standings, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman showed why the A’s remain hopeful about their long-term future.
Olson and Chapman, manning opposite corners of the infield, each went 3-for-4 with a home run in Sunday’s not-so-comfortable 8-3 victory over Texas at the Coliseum. The win completed a three-game sweep for the A’s, only their fourth series sweep all season.
Starting pitcher Jharel Cotton also merits mention, after he matched his career high with nine strikeouts in six strong innings.
Oakland led 4-2 heading to the eighth, buoyed by the pitching of Cotton and Daniel Coulombe (one clean inning).