Brown, Rooker help A's clinch first winning month since July '22

ANAHEIM -- It had two years since the A’s could say they had a winning month. That is no longer the case after an incredible July culminating in another win on Friday.

The A’s beat the Angels with a 5-4 comeback win at Angel Stadium and moved to 13-7 in July, clinching their first winning month since July 2022, when they went 14-12. Oakland’s .650 winning percentage is their best in a month since the A’s went 17-9 (.654 winning percentage) in June 2021.

“The team is playing really well," A's manager Mark Kotsay said. "The confidence in that room is starting to build. They’re starting to believe in how talented they are and that they can win, and that’s important. That’s a key aspect to the development process. It’s great to see, and they’re getting some results and being rewarded for it.”

Once again, the A’s relied on an offense that entered Friday’s game leading the Majors in every meaningful category for July, ranking first among all offenses in runs (129), home runs (38), OPS (.871) and FanGraphs’ version of Wins Above Replacement (6.0).

Down 4-2 entering the sixth inning, Brent Rooker slugged a game-tying, two-run home run, his 25th of the year and 10th homer in an outrageous month of July. Three batters later, Seth Brown -- who already had a two-run home run and single on the night -- gave the A’s the lead on an RBI single. Originally ruled a foul ball, the call was overturned on an umpire’s review and ultimately proved to be the game-winning run.

“It’s just awesome to be out there with these guys right now," Brown said. "This lineup is hungry. The confidence in this lineup is awesome. That kind of stuff rubs off on you. Being out there with these guys and enjoying the game of baseball with them is a blast."

While Rooker and Lawrence Butler have rightfully garnered attention with their excellent months, Brown has rather quietly been great as well. Friday’s game marked just the second time in his career that Brown had three hits, three RBIs and a home run in the same game, something he achieved 12 days prior in the final game of the first half. With his effort, Brown is hitting .389/.450/.778 with four home runs in 39 plate appearances in July.

Brown was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on June 18 and returned on July 11. Kotsay said it was a “great reset” for Brown, and the 32-year-old took the demotion as a challenge to get back.

“That kind of news when you have to go back down is something you never want to hear, but to me, it’s all about how you take it,” Brown said. “I went down and I was like, ‘OK, we have to start back at square one and see what we can do.’”

It’s impossible to overlook the importance of Rooker’s home run and just how good the 29-year-old has been this year. Rooker became the first A’s hitter with consecutive 25-home run seasons since Matt Olson did it from 2018-19. Rooker’s .948 OPS is seventh-best among qualified hitters this season and he’s been even better in July, running a 1.326 OPS that will put him in the running for AL Player of the Month along with Butler and the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr.

“It’s been a good month. I feel good up there, and it makes it easier to hit when the guys around you are hitting, too,” Rooker said. “The offense has been contagious up and down the lineup, and it’s been fun to be a part of.”

The game certainly didn’t start well for the A’s. Sidelined for over two months on the injured list with a right foot stress reaction, Paul Blackburn was activated and made his first start since May 10. Right out of the gate, Blackburn struggled to command his pitches in a four-run first inning for the Angels.

However, after the first inning, Blackburn battled to keep the A’s in the game. Much like Ross Stripling did on Thursday night -- when he allowed five second-inning runs but recovered to pitch 5 2/3 innings in a 6-5 A’s win -- Blackburn bounced back by throwing up zeros the rest of the way in a five-inning effort.