Lamb Wants Athletics to Bring Da Noise as A's Close in on AL West Championship
A week ago, Jake Lamb was in no-man’s land. He’d just be cut (designated for assignment in baseball parlance) by the Texas Rangers and was unemployed, the owner of a .116 batting average that wouldn’t suggest further employment.
Fast forward a week and he’s the starting third baseman on an Oakland Athletics team that just locked down a playoff berth with a 6-0 win over the San Francisco Giants. More than that, the A’s magic number to earn the American League West is two with nine games left on Oakland’s regular-season schedule.
“It’s been a little crazy, for sure,” Lamb said after Friday’s win. He drove in the game’s first run with a single in the first inning. The A’s would get a three-run homer from Matt Olson in the third, and starter Chris Bassitt and the bullpen put away the Giants from there.
“The DFA is one thing, and then coming to a team that’s pushing for not just a playoff shot, but for a World Series championship, so it was definitely a quick turnaround.” Lamb said. “It’s an awesome group, and it’s fun to be here.”
How much fun? Closer Liam Hendriks said the other day that every time Lamb gets a hit – he’s hit in all four of his starts, a total of six hit, or one more than he had all year in Texas – the pitchers in the bullpen bleat out a loud “baaaaa,” playing around with his last name.
Asked about it, Lamb laughed, and then said “I think it’s a conspiracy theory.”
“I’ve been asked nonstop about it,” he said. “I’ve got my mom asking be about it. But, no, I haven’t heard it, so I think the bullpen’s all talk right now.”
The remedy?
“If they’re doing it,” Lamb said, “They need to bring da noise.”
Bassitt has been making noise about Lamb ever since the third baseman arrived as a free agent in the wake of the A’s losing starting third baseman Matt Chapman.
“He’s been incredible,” Bassitt said of Lamb. “He’s a super-athletic guy. I don’t know how we got him, honestly. “I’ve heard other guys who played with him say if he’s healthy, he’s an All-Star. And, dang, does he look healthy. I think we got a steal with him.”
That being said, Bassitt said the job isn’t done yet. It’s scarcely begun. First thing up is to cinch the AL West, which they can do with a win against the Giants Saturday afternoon and a Houston loss to Arizona Saturday evening would get the job done. He said beating the Giants was just “another win.”
“I think we have a lot bigger goals,” Bassitt said. “Definitely the playoffs are huge. But this team is extremely hunger for a lot bigger things that just a playoff. We basically acted like we won a game, and that was about it.
“I think once we win the division, there might be a little celebration. But the fact is, we’ve got to keep on winning.”
Follow Athletics insider John Hickey on Twitter: @JHickey3
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