Colby Thomas and A's Stay Hot, Have Won 6 of Last 10 Games

As many of the the A's games have gone lately, the momentum of the evening started with none other than leadoff man Shea Langeliers. He was the designated hitter in Friday night's win in which he hit a home run, and Saturday night handled catching duties.

His leadoff walk to begin the game set the tone, as three batters later, Colby Thomas hit a towering home run to the left field clubhouse, measuring 413 ft. to give the A' a 2-0 lead.

Not only is Colby contributing and helping his team win games now, which he mentioned is a huge confidence boost after last night's win, but he is making an impact when in the lineup in a way that is game-changing. Over his last five games, Thomas is 8-for-18 (.444) with two homers and eight RBI.

Shortstop Darell Hernaiz has been doing a nice job filling in during Jacob Wilson's absence, and on Saturday night, Hernaiz standing in the box looked very much like a Jacob Wilson at-bat. After being down 0-2 in the count in the bottom of the third, he came back to make it 2-2, fouling off a changeup before hitting a single to center field which scored Brent Rooker and Nick Kurtz to make it a 4-1 Athletics lead.

He would strike again in the bottom of the fifth inning, with a single to left field that moved Kurtz into scoring position. These at-bats are showing his growth at the big-league level, and it's clear that his approach is much different now than it was when he was called up. He's been battling in his at-bats, looking for a pitch that he can do damage with, and it's paying off.

A's manager Mark Kotsay said after the game, “From the offensive side, the power is showing up. He battles with the two strikes. He’s changed that approach a little bit, which I love. This is a great opportunity for Darell."

He's certainly leaving a great impression, and even when Wilson returns, his at-bats and defensive plays as of late have absolutely helped his team come out ahead more often than not. The A's are 14-7 in their last 21, taking care of business against the portion of the schedule that has been a little softer.

Defense was also a highlight of the evening for the A's, something they've been working on as a ballclub and improved upon, especially since the All-Star break. Manager Mark Kotay has mentioned how the whole team stepped it up on that side of the ball once Denzel Clarke arrived.

Although his most recent injury and setback during his rehab is tough news for the star centerfielder, they are in good hands with the players Kotsay is filling in on the lineup card to play the outfield.

Tyler Soderstrom also extended his hitting streak to 15 games tonight, currently the longest in Major League Baseball. The Turlock native impressed with his glove too. Angels shortstop Zach Neto tried to stretch his RBI single in the second inning into a double, and Tyler played it perfectly from left field, firing it into Max Schuemann at second base to get Neto out to end the inning.

Newcomer Brent Harris made a fantastic sliding stop at the hot corner tonight, to get Bryce Teodosio out at first in the fifth inning. Sterner, Ferguson and Newcomb all had stellar outings to combine for six strikeouts and one earned run tonight out of the bullpen, each doing well in their roles and passing the ball to the next man up in the 'pen.

The A's will look to sweep the Angels, their division rival on Sunday, after holding an 0-7 record against the club heading into the weekend series. Jeffrey Springs will take the ball for the green and gold against José Soriano for the Angels. First pitch is at 1:05 PDT.