A’s kiss April goodbye, look ahead to a more plentiful May

Mired in their longest losing streak since early September of 2017 (eight games from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5 of 2017), the A’s have been unfortunately consistent in all facets of the game.

From defensive miscues to starters departing early to dormant bats, they have failed in all ways imaginable during their current five-game losing streak.

After collecting just three hits in Tuesday’s 5-0 loss at Boston, the lineup is hitting .159 (25-for-164) during the stretch, having just buttered their bread twice during the stretch with two long balls.

“A little funk going on right now, across the board,” said manager Bob Melvin. “We haven’t played great defense, we haven’t pitched very well, we haven’t swung the bats very well. But we’ll come out of it. It’s a part of the season that’s difficult. You’ve just got to remain positive and these guys will.”

But enough about all of that, a fresh new month begins Wednesday.

Always look on the bright side

Once the team retreated to the visitor’s clubhouse on Tuesday, Matt Chapman had a message for the group.

“As soon as we came in Chap said, ‘Hey, it’s a new month tomorrow. Let’s go start over and turn the page and get after it,’” said Oakland starter Aaron Brooks, who dropped to 2-3 on the year following Tuesday’s loss. “You never know. We’re just going to keep fighting and battling and doing what we’ve got to do.”

Bookended by series versus the defending World Series champions, Oakland’s April started off well enough, taking 3-of-4 from the Red Sox at home. By the end of it all they were 11-15 on the month.

Despite how things snowballed on the team throughout, they are hoping they can take some lessons learned over these last few years to kick things into gear similarly.

“This month didn’t exactly go the way any of us wanted it to,” said Chapman. “That’s baseball and I think that our team is pretty resilient. We’ve had the tendency to start a little slow and then kind of just pick up the pace, pick up the pace and we kind of get hot at the end. We did it last year. We did it in 2017…To be able to do that you’ve got to keep working hard and stay positive.

“I kind of just came in and said, ‘April’s behind us. Don’t let the A’s get to May.’ Tomorrow is May 1. We can turn over a new leaf and get back to work and hopefully put everything behind us, start off fresh and just treat it like a whole new season, a whole new month and go from there.”

Not just a pretty bat

Chapman continues to prove his worth in the batter’s box, but his work in the field has also been worth noting.

While he leads all third basemen in the game with eight home runs and is tied for the lead with 20 RBIs, the 26-year-old is also leading all of baseball with total chances (96) and putouts (36) and is tied for second with 58 assists through 32 games.

He is also providing his manager with versatility on the left side of the infield which has allowed for some flexibility and ingenuity.

“We can move him over a little bit up the middle,” explained Melvin. “He covers so much ground and plays so deep which allows him to cover all the ground. He can play deep because of his throwing arm. It allows us to adjust a little bit. It doesn’t take away from the job that Marcus Semien has done too.”

While we’re on the topic

After a rough Monday night at second base, Jurickson Profar was given the day off on Tuesday, but continued his work at the position prior to the game, utilizing the knowledge of Semien in the process.

“It’s a great resource,” noted Melvin. “Marcus has been through some things defensively as well. Going through a little bit of soft spot right now for Jurickson.”

With an off day on Thursday, the Oakland manager plans to do the same prior to Wednesday’s matinee in Boston, allowing Profar another day of rest, but also the chance to continue to work things out with Semien, who has also gone through the process of having to switch middle infield positions.

“If there’s ever a guy that can be helpful along these lines, it’s Marcus Semien,” said the Oakland skipper. “He wants to help as much as he can.”

Canha update

The A’s got some good news with regards to Mark Canha, who was added to the injured list on Monday with a right wrist injury.

Following an MRI and a visit with Dr. Steven Shin on Tuesday, the results returned a positive prognosis.

“It doesn’t look to be a long-term thing,” said Melvin. “I think we caught a break on that.”

Melvin went on to explain that there was a sprain of the wrist in the ligament and that Canha will receive a shot to alleviate things with the hope that he will be able to begin working his way back within 3-4 days.