Judge, Soto ... Butler: A's OF joins big stars with 6th HR in 5 games

ARLINGTON -- There was an audible gasp from the crowd inside Globe Life Field when Lawrence Butler struck a deep drive to center field in the sixth inning. It was understandable if most thought the ball was going out. Butler had already homered two innings prior -- his sixth over the past five days.

Butler’s 403-foot liner bounced off the glove of a leaping Leody Taveras for a double, setting him up to come around to score the tying run one batter later on a double by Brent Rooker before the A’s fell to the Rangers in a walk-off 3-2 loss on Saturday night.

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For Butler, his 2-for-4 effort -- which extended his hitting streak to 10 games, the longest of any A’s hitter so far this season -- was another chapter in what has been an unreal tear as of late. Launching his 20th home run in the fourth inning off Rangers starter Cody Bradford, Butler became just the third player in MLB to amass six homers over a five-game span this season.

The other two are bona fide superstars: Aaron Judge (Aug. 21-25) and Juan Soto (two overlapping spans).

“That’s crazy,” Butler said. “Those are future Hall of Famers right there. For my name to be mentioned with those two, that’s a pretty big deal. That’s cool.”

Butler is the first A’s player with six home runs in a five-game stretch since Khris Davis, who had two overlapping spans in 2018 from July 21-25 and July 22-26.

In the Wild Card era (since 1995), Butler is only the fifth A’s player with six or more home runs over a five-game span. The rest of the list:

• Khris Davis (2018)
• Danny Valencia (2016)
• Gerónimo Berroa (1996)
• Mark McGwire (1995)

“The way he’s swinging the bat right now,” manager Mark Kotsay said of Butler, “he’s pretty locked in.”

Before the All-Star break, Butler had just one hit in 20 at-bats (.050) against left-handers. Since July 1, he is now 14-for-33 (.424) when facing southpaws, including his two hits off Bradford on Saturday.

The cause of the increased success against lefties is simple for Butler: getting more reps. Earlier in the season, his inclusion in the starting lineup was confined to mostly days when an opposing right-handed starter was taking the mound. Over the past couple of months, however, Butler has earned the trust of Kotsay to play every day, regardless of matchups.

“I told [Kotsay] at the beginning of the year that I believed I could hit lefties,” Butler said. “I’ve hit lefties my whole life. I appreciate him for putting me in there against lefties.”

When Butler scorched a first-pitch fastball from Bradford into the right-field seats for a screaming solo shot in the fourth that registered an exit velocity of 112.6 mph off the bat, he became the first A’s player age 24 or younger to hit 20 home runs in a season since Ramón Laureano in 2019. It also marked his first time reaching 20 home runs at any level of professional baseball.

The 20-homer milestone is only enhanced by how quickly Butler has reached it.

Following a rough start to the season, Butler was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on May 14 to work on his mechanics at the plate and did not return to the big leagues until June 18. Entering July, Butler had just two home runs.

Since July 2, he’s crushed 18 home runs over his last 50 games, tied with Rooker for most home runs over that stretch and trailing only Judge (20). In addition to the 18 homers through those 50 games, Butler is hitting .314 (58-for-185) with 12 doubles, 45 RBIs and eight stolen bases during that span.

“It means a lot,” Butler said. “To [hit 20 home runs] for the first time in the big leagues is pretty amazing to me. I give a lot of credit to my teammates and coaches for the hard work.”

Butler’s hard work has been evident to his teammates, many of whom played with him throughout the Minor Leagues, including A’s starter Joey Estes, who took a no-decision after limiting the Rangers to two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts across six innings.

“It’s crazy. It’s just really fun to watch,” Estes said. “I’m just proud of Law. I’ve seen him work his way up through the Minor Leagues. For him to get to this point in his career, it’s really awesome to see.”