ARLINGTON, Texas – The A’s weren’t getting much from their leadoff hitters until Saturday when Marcus Semien stepped up.
Matched against Rangers’ ace Yu Darvish, Semien walked twice and stole a couple of bases, later added an RBI single to bring home the final run in a 6-1 win over Texas.
It’s not the culmination of the work Semien has been trying to do, but it does show how far he and batting coach Darren Bush have come in working on being more selective.
Already this season Semien has six walks in six games. It took him 12 games last yet to get to six walks.