Lawrence

Butler

The A’s got solo homers from Zack Gelof and Donovan Walton, but Butler’s 107-mph liner up the middle in the fifth was the biggest blow. Butler has hit in 12 straight games and 21 of 23. He’s batted .345 with five homers and 19 RBI since Aug. 10.

Butler singled in the top half of the first inning but was left stranded there. He then worked a one-out walk in the fifth and scored the A’s first run on an RBI single off the bat of Brian Serven. He also led off the seventh inning with a single but was cut down attempting to steal second base. With his two-hit afternoon, the 26-year-old outfielder is slashing an unimpressive .218/.309/.358 with 11 homers, 36 RBI and nine stolen bases in 392 plate appearances on the season.

Butler supplied the A’s only two runs through eight innings for the A’s, taking Nick Martinez deep for a two-run blast in the fourth inning. The 26-year-old outfielder has had a disappointing season, hitting .206/.299/.330 with eight homers, 44 runs scored, 32 RBI, and nine steals across 359 plate appearances.

Bolte went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts out of the leadoff spot against Red Sox southpaw Payton Tolle. In his defense, Tolle finished with 14 strikeouts in a dominant performance. He’ll continue to get opportunities against left-handers, which is the case in this one with Jake Bennett taking the ball for Boston, with Lawrence Butler handling the top spot against right-handers.

Even against lefties, like today, Butler has been a fixture in the A’s lineup of late. Over his last 15 games, his slashing .295/.373/.568 with two home runs, nine runs scored, seven RBI and one steal. He may finally be getting healthy.

Butler’s home run was his seventh of the year. He hit a solo shot off Rhett Lowder in the first inning. Butler is now 8-for-27 (.296) with two home runs, six runs scored and four RBI in his last seven games.

Butler got lucky in the bottom of the ninth, when he thought his opposite-field double was a walkoff homer off Aroldis Chapman and he waited several seconds to start running. Fortunately for him, the ball bounced far enough away after hitting the wall that he made it to second anyway. It still was a nice showing offensively. His homer off Patrick Sandoval in the fifth was his first since June 19, and he had two extra-base hits for the first time in a game this season. He’s batting .204/.306/.320 in 311 plate appearances, but his seven-year, $65.5 million contract ensures that the A’s won’t give up on him.

Thomas was diagnosed with a left wrist contusion after being hit by a pitch during Monday’s series opener against Arizona. He’s day-to-day for now. It’ll be Lawrence Butler in right field in his absence.

Lawrence Butler took over for Thomas in right field to open the fourth inning after he was hit by a pitch on the left hand area earlier in the contest. He’ll head for X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures.

Wilson gets a look atop the Athletics’ lineup with Nick Kurtz on the injured list against lefty opener Bryan Hudson after Lawrence Butler took at turn during Friday’s series opener. The 24-year-old contact-oriented shortstop should continue to get opportunities against lefties while Kurtz is on the shelf. He’s hit .286 (4-for-14) in four games since returning from the injured list earlier this week.