Marcus Semien went 2-for-6 with a triple, a homer and seven RBIs against the Royals on Monday. Semien paced Oakland's 19-run, 22-hit assault with a three-run triple in the second inning and a three-run homer in the third. With 23 homers and 69 RBIs, he's closing in on his career highs of 27 and 75 from 2016. His .848 OPS is easily a personal best as well, more than 100 points higher than his previous high of .735 from 2016. The key to Semien's success has been improved plate discipline, as his 70 walks are already a career high. He's also striking out less frequently, making him a true threat at the top of Oakland's lineup.
Khris Davis went 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs, two RBIs and a walk Monday against the Royals. Davis busted out of his slump in a big way with his first multi-hit game in nearly a month, snapping out of a 6-for-51 (.118) start to August. The long ball was only his second of the month and 19th of the season -- a far cry from last year's MLB-leading total of 48. Although he missed some time with injury, the 31-year-old slugger just hasn't been himself this year, posting career lows in multiple categories. The feast-or-famine slugger is streaky, though, so he could still go off for a huge September.
Gleyber Torres went 1-for-4 with a solo homer Monday against the Mariners. Torres connected in the second inning off Tommy Milone for his 33rd homer of the year, helping New York to a 5-4 win over Seattle. 13 of those long balls have come this month, as Torres has been on fire since the calendar flipped to August. The 22-year-old has quickly established himself as one of baseball's premier young talents during his first two seasons and has improved markedly since his rookie campaign, boosting his OPS from .820 to .903 while walking more and striking out less.
Matt Chapman went 2-for-5 with a double, a homer, two runs and two RBIs against the Royals on Monday. Chapman helped Oakland rout Kansas City with his 33rd double and career-high 30th homer, snapping out of a 3-for-22 funk over his previous six games. Now in his third season, Chapman has continued to add power and patience to his game while striking out less frequently, as he continues to show signs of maturing into a superstar.
The A's placed Stephen Piscotty on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to Sunday, with a sprained right ankle. He originally rolled his ankle on Aug. 17 and twice left a game early last week due to lingering issues. Piscotty already missed over a month earlier in the summer with a sprained right knee. The A's hope to have a healthy Piscotty back for the stretch run in September, as he's batting .252/.312/.416 with 13 homers and 44 RBIs in 92 games this year.
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