Dark Horse Tavern » Khris Davis hardly cares how many home runs he hits th

OAKLAND Blake Treinen Jersey , Calif. (AP) — is year if he can slug the Oakland Athletics much deeper into the postseason.Sure, he has some numbers in his head. How could he not after leading the majors with 48 homers last year? Perhaps 50 is now within reach.There was time for reflection, and it has now passed.“I did at the end of the season. Now I’m kind of like over it,” Davis said. “I want to pick up where I left off. I felt like I ended the season on a good note, making it to the playoffs. Nobody thought we’d get there. Even though we lost, there was a lot to be proud of. It was by far the most fun I’ve had playing baseball, because we won so many games. And winning is way better than losing.”With a young power-hitting lineup, the A’s realize they won’t surprise the rest of baseball as they did last year with their knack for late-game rallies and winning the close ones. Oakland lost the AL wild card game to the New York Yankees.“We’ve come a long way as a team to get into this type of position,” manager Bob Melvin said. “It’s easier to envision where the lineup’s going to be and look a little bit farther down the road with this type of team than with teams where you’re kind of always having to mix and match.”Here are some things to watch for as the A’s look to start strong, beginning in Japan on March 20 against the AL West rival Seattle Mariners:MOMENTUM TIME: Melvin expects his A’s to have swagger, a well-deserved confidence after the remarkable turnaround of 2018.The A’s trailed the Mariners by 11 games in the wild-card race on June 15 then propelled themselves into the playoffs with a superb second half.“We were able to, through confidence, create the success, and now we have that kind of confidence to go into the season,” said Melvin, the reigning AL Manager of the Year.PROFAR’S PRESENCE: New second baseman Jurickson Profar joins a talented infield with a pair of slugging Matts — Matt Chapman at third and Matt Olson at first — along with much-improved Marcus Semien at shortstop.Profar knows how good his new club can be after watching the A’s beat his former Texas Rangers so many times before being traded.“Now I get the chance to play with them. So far, it’s fun Chris Hatcher Jersey ,” he said. “I’m excited to get it started already and have a good year with everybody.”Profar batted .254 with 20 homers and 77 RBIs in 146 games last season while playing all four infield spots for the Rangers.He is embracing a new opportunity with Oakland.“They did great last year and we’re still young. I’m looking forward to doing it again, go to the playoffs and not only one game like last year. Keep going.”POWER PLAY: Davis, who received a $6 million raise this offseason to $16.5 million, also had a career-high 123 RBIs. He jokes about the fact he has hit .247 for each of the past four seasons.Olson hit 29 homers and drove in 85 runs while Chapman had 24 homers and 68 RBIs in his first full major league season. He is coming off left shoulder surgery in December.“Now that I think about it, wow, it was because of these young guys,” Davis said of the recent success. “They bring something fresh, and that’s what Oakland needs is some freshness.”ROTATION FACES: The A’s are counting on veteran starters Mike Fiers and Marco Estrada to lead the rotation until everyone is healthy again.Fiers returned on a $14.1 million, two-year deal in December, then Estrada received a $4 million, one-year contract in January.The A’s acquired Fiers in August from Detroit, and he helped the club reach the playoffs for the first time since 2014. He went 5-2 with a 3.74 ERA in 10 outings with nine starts after joining Oakland.Brett Anderson is back with the A’s and the lefty also is slated to be in the rotation when the season starts.Lefty ace Sean Manaea pitched a no-hitter against Boston on April 21 then underwent shoulder surgery in September. He is expected to be out until around the All-Star break.Jharel Cotton had Tommy John surgery in March, followed by three others who also underwent the elbow ligament replacement surgery: departed 2018 opening day starter Kendall Graveman, Daniel Gossett and top prospect A.J. Puk.TOP PROSPECT: While Jesus Luzardo didn’t get named to the roster for Japan, he is still hopeful of breaking camp with a big league spot. He will remain in Arizona to stay on a throwing schedule.The prized lefty made all of four starts at Triple-A Nashville last season, when he also pitched in Double-A and Class-A ball. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Mike Fiers felt the adrenaline pumping early in his first day on the job with his new team http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-khris-davis-jersey , and he put it to good use.Fiers pitched 5 1/3 strong innings and the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Wednesday night.Fiers gave up one run on four hits. He struck out eight and walked none.“I think it kind of stepped up another level today,” Fiers said. “Just trying to put together a good performance for this team. Definitely needed it after losing last night. We needed to come back with a win and we did that.”Fiers didn’t allow a baserunner until Yasmani Grandal led off the fifth with his 20th home run.Fiers was with the Houston Astros when he pitched a no-hitter against the Dodgers on Aug. 22, 2015.The A’s, desperate to add depth to an injury depleted rotation, acquired the 33-year-old right-hander from the Tigers on Monday for two players to be named or cash. He became the 13th starter the A’s sent to the mound this season.Fiers and battery mate Jonathan Lucroy were teammates on the Milwaukee Brewers from 2011 to 2015.“He did well,” Lucroy said. “He executed. Any time you can do that it gives your lineup a chance to settle in, even against a guy like Kershaw. We scratched two on him. If Fiers isn’t keeping us locked in there for as long as he did I don’t think we score those two runs.”The A’s broke a 2-2 in the eighth inning when Khris Davis hit a fielder’s choice grounder off Dodgers reliever J.T. Chargois (2-3), scoring Marcus Semien from third.Dodgers third baseman Manny Machado fielded Davis’ bouncer and fired home to catcher Grandal, but Grandal never had control of the ball when he swipe-tagged Semien. Grandal was charged with an error on the play.“It’s going to be one of those plays where it’s going to be a bang-bang play, and if you happen to have to have the ball in your hand he’s out, and if not he’s safe,” Grandal said.Jeurys Familia (3-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win and Blake Treinen worked the ninth for his 29th save in 33 chances.Second baseman Lowrie made a running catch with Yasiel Puig at second for the final out to preserve the win.Oakland won for the seventh time in eight games and improved to 34-11 going back to June 16, the best record in the majors over that stretch.The A’s closed to within five games of idle Houston, which leads the AL West.The Dodgers fell a half game behind Arizona, which beat Philadelphia on Wednesday to move into first place in the NL West.Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw gave up two runs in six innings. He remains winless in four starts against Oakland despite posting a 1.38 ERA over that stretch.Kershaw is 2-1 with a 2.10 ERA since the All-Star break.“I didn’t have much of anything tonight,” Kershaw said. “It was a little bit of smoke and mirrors. That’s a good team over there and I was getting ahead of a few guys, but especially that fourth inning where they scored the runs Boog Powell Jersey , a lot of hits with two strikes right there, I didn’t really have those put-away pitches when I needed them to tonight.”TRAINER’S ROOMDodgers: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (left groin strain) pitched in a rehab game for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. He threw 71 pitches and topped out at 91 mph, Roberts said. Ryu throw again in five or six days, possibly for Los Angeles, manager Dave Roberts said. “To Ryu’s credit, he pitched well, he feels well, and so to make our decision more difficult, that’s a good thing for the Dodgers,” Roberts said. . LHP Alex Wood (left adductor tendinitis) pitched three innings in a simulated game on Tuesday. “At that point we’ll figure out where to plug him in,” Roberts said.UP NEXTDodgers: Ross Stripling (8-3, 2.68 ERA) will come of the DL (right first toe inflammation) to pitch Thursday’s series opener against the Rockies in Colorado. He’s 1-1 with a 2.88 ERA in 10 appearances (three starts) against the Rockies.Athletics: LHP Brett Anderson (2-3, 4.64 ERA) will pitch Friday’s series opener against the Angels in Los Angeles on Friday. Anderson is 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA since coming off the DL (strained left shoulder) on July 8.