Standouts From A's Hot Month of August

Right as the month of August began, the A's catcher lifted off. His home run against the Diamondbacks in the A's 5-1 victory would be the first in the month. On the road in Washington, he made his debut as the A's leadoff man, and it became one of the best wins of the season.

His 3-homer game put him in elite company, as he became the fourth catcher ever to record multiple three-home run games in their career. His 15 total bases are also tied for the most by a catcher in a single game in the modern era, per Sarah Langs.

Jacob Lopez Dominates:

He tossed 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball with a career-high 10 strikeouts on August 7th. Lopez would dazzle on the mound through the month, performing better and better every time, before his season came to a halt after his Grade 1 flexor strain injury.

Week 2

A's Triple Threat:

The two hot hitters of the month, Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz, along with DH Brent Rooker collected seven hits and seven RBI between them in the dominant 11-3 victory on August 9 in Baltimore.

Mix & Match:

Twelve position players saw game action as Kotsay pushed all the right buttons and the A's were able to grind out a battle in Baltimore. Every pitch mattered late in the game where there wasn't a lot of offense, but Colby Thomas had an RBI single and catcher Willie MacIver who went 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and a stellar defensive play resulted in a big time series win.

Week 3

Lights Out Luis:

New to the rotation, Luis Morales pitched 5 innings with 5 strikeouts, giving up 1 earned run and 5 hits in the A's 7-2 victory against their AL West rival, the Los Angeles Angels. He ended his month with a 7 IP and 7 K performance. A hot August for Luis, indeed! His month of September will begin against Sonny Gray and the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.

Brett Harris and the Boys in Minnesota:

Kurtz went 3-for-3, Shea homered, and Brett Harris earned 2 RBI in the August 19th 7-3 victory. They'd go on to sweep in Minnesota, something they hadn't done since 2014.

What a Relief:

The combined effort of relievers Newcomb, Alvarado, Harris, Kelly and Ferguson gave the A's 5 innings of shutout baseball and led them to a 4-2 victory over the Twins. Even without a set closer, the A's bullpen have found success in their less defined roles.

Week 4

Shea Leaves Them Sleepless in Seattle:

Langeliers hit a tie-breaking double in the 10th inning as the A's grabbed the extra-innings win. They would lose the series to the Mariners, but all three games had an electric feel and gave the team great experience and togetherness they took back home.

A's Slam the Door on Skubal, Tigers:

The first two games of the Tigers series were symbolic of the A's entire month, and a great sign of what's to come in the future. They shocked Tigers fans, media pundits and perhaps even manager A.J. Hinch himself as Shea Langeliers hit a grand slam off Tarik Skubal to give the A's a late lead on Monday night.

Colby Thomas had a solo blast of his own, and Nick Kurtz joined the party with a pinch-hit HR. The team came back the next night with another thrilling win, this time via a bases loaded walk from Hernaiz in extra innings that led to a literal walk-off win.

As Zack Gelof led the team to a series sweep on Wednesday, a frustrated AJ Hinch groaned, "I don’t want to play another game here,” Hinch said. “I can tell you that... I’m ready to get out of [West] Sacramento."

The Athletics would then end up being swept by the Texas Rangers to end the home stand, and the month of August.

In a matter of days, the sweep of Detroit will be a thing of the past and the national media will forget about the A's success. But for those in Sacramento, it was an August to remember. As the team moves into September, Mark Kotsay and his team will look back upon a month where they experienced growth, failure, new opportunities and surely a lot of excitement for the fanbase and the future of the A's organization.