OAKLAND, Calif. _ Khris Davis might have a tough time cracking the American League MVP race with JD Martinez chasing a triple crown, Mookie Betts putting together an unreal year, and Mike Trout being Mike Trout. But the value he brings to this Oakland A's playoff race, which is far more important to the slugger, is unquestioned.
Davis homered for the third straight game in Tuesday's 6-0 win over the Texas Rangers in front of 11,579 fans at the Coliseum.
The two-run bomb came in the seventh as Davis smacked a 2-1 fastball from Matt Moore over the wall in right field to give the A's (76-50) a commanding six-run lead, with fans chanting "MVP!" as he rounded the bases and made his way back to the dugout.
Having already driven in his 100th RBI of the season earlier in the game, the homer was Davis' 38th of the year, tying him with Martinez for the major league lead. With 17 home runs in 29 games since the All Star break, Davis will easily crush the 40 home run, 100 RBI mark for the third consecutive season. But doing it in a year where the A's are battling with the Houston Astros, tied for first in the AL West after Tuesday's win, should merit some extra consideration when it comes to MVP voting, even with a crowded group of qualified candidates.
Davis may not have the high batting average like the other guys, sitting at .263 as of Tuesday night, but he's the heart that makes the A's offense go.
Brett Anderson continued what has been a dominant run not just by him, but the entire A's starting rotation.
For the third time in his last four starts, Anderson completed at least seven innings without allowing a run as he tossed seven shutout innings of one-hit ball against the Rangers (56-72) before handing it over to Jeurys Familia and Lou Trivino for the final two innings.
Since July 30, A's starting pitchers have posted a 1.99 ERA with 91 strikeouts over 113 1/3 innings over 19 games. Once thought of as the weak link of this club, the rotation has caught up to what has been a high-powered offense and dominant bullpen for most of the year.
