AUGUST 8, 2021•MLB.COM
This is what a 31 mph pitch looks likeJosh Harrison had seen veteran utility man Brock Holt pitch when they were teammates on the Nationals last season. But he still had no idea...
Matt Olson - Four hits in routOlson went 4-for-5 with a double, three runs scored and two RBI in Saturday's 12-3 win over the Rangers.
ImpactThe first baseman has slugged a two-bagger in three straight games and swatted an extra-base hit in five of his last six. The power surge has boosted Olson's batting average since the All-Star break to .304 (21-for-69) with a .638 SLG thanks to eight doubles and five homers.
AUGUST 8, 2021•ROTOWIRE
Josh Harrison - Belts seventh homerHarrison went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 12-3 win over the Rangers.
ImpactThe veteran utility player took Demarcus Evans deep in the fifth inning, capping the scoring on the day for the A's and giving Harrison his seventh homer of the year. He had gone just 2-for-16 through his first four games with Oakland since coming over at the trade deadline, but his .294/.366/.434 slash line in 90 games for Washington prior to the trade suggested he wouldn't take long to get going in his new uniform.
AUGUST 8, 2021•ROTOWIRE
Yan Gomes - Swats 11th homerGomes went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Saturday's 12-3 win over the Rangers.
ImpactHe slugged a three-run shot off Jharel Cotton in the fourth inning, his second homer in five games since coming to Oakland at the trade deadline and his 11th of the year. Gomes is on pace for his best offensive performance since 2013, his first full season in the majors, with a .794 OPS between the A's and Nationals.
AUGUST 8, 2021•ROTOWIRE
Cole Irvin - Sharp in eighth winIrvin (8-10) picked up the win in Saturday's 12-3 rout of the Rangers, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out four.
ImpactThe southpaw served up a two-run shot to Adolis Garcia in the first inning but then shut down the Texas offense from there, firing 62 of 92 pitches for strikes before exiting. Irvin has delivered three quality starts in his last four outings and 12 in total on the season, and he'll take a 3.45 ERA and 94:24 K:BB through 130.1 innings into his next start.
AUGUST 8, 2021•ROTOWIRE
Adolis García - Slugs 24th homerGarcia went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 12-3 loss to the A's.
ImpactHe gave the Rangers an early lead with a two-run shot off Cole Irvin in the first inning, then brought home the team's only other run with a single in the eighth. Garcia only has two of his 24 homers on the season since the All-Star break, batting a woeful .164 (12-for-73) over that stretch with a 5:24 BB:K.
AUGUST 7, 2021•ROTOWIRE
Drew Anderson - Early exit in lossAnderson (0-1) took the loss in Saturday's 12-3 rout at the hands of the A's, coughing up five runs on four hits and two walks over two-plus innings. He didn't strike out a batter.
ImpactThe 27-year-old kept Oakland off the board for two innings before the wheels came off, as the A's piled up seven runs in total in the third. Anderson had begun his tenure with Texas by tossing four scoreless innings over two appearances, but his ERA immediately spiked to 7.50 after this outing. The Rangers have been deploying tandems in their rotation of late, so Anderson could well remain in a starting or long relief role despite this performance.
AUGUST 7, 2021•ROTOWIRE
