Third baseman Matt Chapman was scratched from the A’s lineup Wednesday night after experiencing a headache, one day after he was hit in the head by a pitch from Rangers right-hander Kyle Gibson. Vimael Machin got the start at third.

But Chapman approached A’s manager Bob Melvin during the team’s 3-1 victory over the Rangers at Globe Life Field and said he was good to go. Melvin turned to the Gold Glove third baseman to play defense in the bottom of the ninth, and it was Chapman’s nice play on a Nick Solak grounder that ended the game.

“He came to me and said he hit some in the cage and felt better than he had all day,” Melvin said. “I didn't want him to take an at-bat, but the ninth inning defensively [was OK]. And it showed up right there at the end. He can be a difference-maker and certainly was. But I expect him to play tomorrow.”

Chapman was hit in the fourth inning Tuesday but finished that game and felt few symptoms until he started to get into his pregame routine on Wednesday.

“He had a little bit of a headache [after the game],” Melvin said. “He came in today and felt pretty good. Once he started hitting in the cage, the headache came back.”

Barreto makes first start
Franklin Barreto got his first start of the season as Melvin gave second baseman Tony Kemp a night off.

“Franklin has drawn the short end of the stick, as far as this year,” Melvin said. “Doesn’t mean he hasn't contributed. He’s pinch-ran and contributed [by] scoring runs in big games. He just hasn't gotten a start to this point. So it’s nice that he’s able to get one today.”

First, you change the haircut
A’s center fielder Ramón Laureano showed off a new buzz cut during a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday. Is that the thing to snap him from a post-suspension hitting slump?

Actually, no. Like countless others, he was attempting to give himself a haircut when the clipper slipped and cut off a section of hair, thus forcing him to do an all-over buzz cut.

Laureano entered Wednesday hitting .107 in eight games since being forced to sit out four contests after that little dustup with the Astros got him a suspension from MLB. Melvin dropped him from second to seventh in the batting order on Tuesday but had him back in the No. 2 slot after on Wednesday after Chapman was scratched.

“I’m just not hitting the ball,” Laureano said, “and [I’m] taking a lot of pitches right down the middle. That’s pretty simple. You’ve got to keep finding ways to work in the cage and with hitting coaches.”

He’s not blaming the time off, saying he was sticking with his normal routine. Rather than blame that, Laureano said he’s not going to overthink it.

“Generally, you can create some bad habits,” he said, “and you don’t even know it -- sometimes when you’re going good. That’s how crazy this game is. I’ll find a way. I’m not worried about it.”

Laureano can take plenty of consolation that the A’s entered Wednesday with the American League’s best record at 21-10 and are averaging 5.5 runs per game this month. Their bullpen has been airtight, and their lead over the Astros in the AL West was four games entering Wednesday.

“It’s never been about me,” Laureano said. “I mean, that's the beauty about this whole team. Anybody can be a game changer at any time in any inning. Everybody has the attitude of, `I’m just going to get the win here tonight with this at-bat.’”

Laureano endorsed Melvin’s decision to drop him in the order, saying, “Oh, absolutely. It brings you more pitches to hit, makes you relax a little bit. Of course, all that stuff plays out. It’s pretty much that simple. I’m very simple when it comes to hitting.”

After wrapping the series against Texas on Thursday, the A’s will head to Houston for a weekend series scheduled to start Friday at Minute Maid Park.

Given the hard feelings between the two teams, what does Laureano expect?

“Normal,” he said. “Just going out there and trying to win three games. I don’t think it’ll be anything more than that.”

Houston logistics
The A’s are scheduled to fly from DFW Airport to Houston after Thursday’s game. As Hurricane Laura approached Houston this week, the A’s considered their options, including taking a bus from Arlington to Houston on Friday morning. But forecasts predict the worst of the storm will pass east of Houston, leaving both teams hopeful of playing the three-game series.