|
 Make that three blasts.
Right fielder Josh Reddick, first baseman Ike Davis and designated
hitter Billy Butler homered, and rookie Kendall Graveman threw seven
shutout innings for Oakland. The A's were homerless in their
previous four games, including a three-game sweep at the Coliseum by
Kansas City, before erupting for three home runs against Colorado.
Reddick and Davis hit two-run blasts in the first inning, and Butler
added a solo shot in the fourth. Butler also doubled and finished
with three hits, three runs and two RBIs. Davis added a double.
"The potential for us three, the sky's the limit," Butler said of
the trio of homer hitters. "We've all hit in the past. We've all hit
recently. We've all had success at this level. If we can all put it
together at the same time, this is a very dangerous offense,
especially with the way Stephen (Vogt's) playing and other guys in
the offense.
"Our offense is real talented. I think the amount of runs we score
on a daily basis shows that. If we have a couple of guys have good
years with those, it could be a lot of fun."
The A's hit 146 home runs last year, 186 in 2013 and 195 in 2012.
They came into Monday's game with 65 in 78 games, on pace for 135.
Reddick's home run was his 11th of the season, while Butler hit his
sixth and Davis, who missed much of the season with an injured
quadriceps, hit his third.
Reddick hit a career-high 32 home runs in 2012, his first season
with the A's. Davis hit a career-high 32 in 2012 with the New York
Mets, and Butler hit a career-high 29 in 2012 with the Kansas City
Royals.
"I think obviously I'm going to hit home runs," Davis said. "I have
power to do it. It's just all about getting in the right rhythm and
let the bat actually go and hit balls like that. But I'll take
hitting doubles and getting on base and playing defense. That's
usually a good sign if you're hitting doubles, at least for me."
Davis hit his 12th double of the season Monday, while Butler hit his
13th.
Graveman (5-4) allowed just five hits, struck out three and walked
three. For the fifth consecutive start, the right-hander pitched at
least seven innings and allowed two or fewer runs. He is 4-2 in
eight starts since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville on May 23.
"I think the confidence factor is definitely there," Graveman said.
"It's something I felt when I was at spring training. Then you lost
it a little bit when I started the season here. To go back down to
Nashville and work with those guys and be productive down there and
then come back and contribute here has been great. It's one of those
things you want to do well for this team. You want to get out there
and perform. I was just putting too much pressure on myself in the
beginning of the season."
The Rockies fell to 0-7 this season in interleague games and lost
their 14th straight road game against American League teams. That is
baseball's second-longest such streak, one shy of the major league
record set by the Los Angeles Dodgers from June 14, 2005, to June
28, 2006.
The A's improved to 4-1 in interleague play this season.
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Rockies right-hander David Hale (2-3) pitched seven innings and
allowed five runs on nine hits, including a career-high-matching
three home runs. He struck out two, walked none and lost his third
straight decision.
"The first inning hurt me," Hale said. "After that I settled down, I
thought, actually really good today. Unfortunately, that first
inning kind of put us in a hole. They came out swinging. I guess I
left a few over the plate or something."
Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon hit his 10th home run of the
season, a leadoff shot off A's reliever Evan Scribner in the eighth
inning that cut Oakland's lead to 5-1. However, the A's added two
runs in the eighth.
Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado extended the major league's
longest active hitting streak to 16 games with a sixth-inning
single. He wound up 1-for-4. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki went 3-for-3
with a walk and extended his hitting streak to 13 games, baseball's
second-longest active streak.
"We believe in ourselves," Tulowitzki said. "We're an offensive
ballclub. We don't feel like we're ever out of it. When it was only
three or four, we definitely felt like we were in the ballgame. They
were just better than us tonight."
A's center fielder Billy Burns went 0-for-4 as his hitting streak
ended at 16 games, which had been the longest active streak in the
majors. Burns' streak ended one game short of tying the Oakland
record for a rookie.
NOTES: Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado was selected the National League
Player of the Week. He batted .391 with seven home runs, 14 RBIs,
one double and 10 runs last week in six games. He had three
multi-homer games. "He's some kind of locked in," Rockies manager
Walt Weiss said. ... A's RF Josh Reddick hit fourth in the order for
the third time this season. Reddick wore a protective guard on his
right shin when hitting, one day after fouling a ball hard off his
shin. ... A's RHP/LHP Pat Venditte (strained right shoulder) played
catch for the second time since going on the disabled list
retroactive to June 11. He made 40 throws right-handed and 40
left-handed from up to 75 feet. "It was pain free," Venditte said.
... The Rockies and A's are playing a series in Oakland for the
first time since June 26-28, 2009, when Colorado earned a three-game
sweep.
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