But when he turns on a pitch he likes and makes hard contact, fortunately for the A’s, the ball tends to travel far distances.
In Davis’ two seasons in Oakland, home runs have been his specialty, and he has been more consistent than anyone else in the game hitting them. In Friday night’s 3-1 victory over the Rangers, Davis smashed his 35th and 36th homers of the season.
It gave him a majors-high 78 homers in 2016 and 2017, and the runner-up is Giancarlo Stanton (76), who also homered twice Friday. Followed by Nelson Cruz (74), Edwin Encarnacion (71) and Nolan Arenado (70).
Reach the 40-homer plateau in back-to-back seasons.
But when he turns on a pitch he likes and makes hard contact, fortunately for the A’s, the ball tends to travel far distances.
In Davis’ two seasons in Oakland, home runs have been his specialty, and he has been more consistent than anyone else in the game hitting them. In Friday night’s 3-1 victory over the Rangers, Davis smashed his 35th and 36th homers of the season.
It gave him a majors-high 78 homers in 2016 and 2017, and the runner-up is Giancarlo Stanton (76), who also homered twice Friday. Followed by Nelson Cruz (74), Edwin Encarnacion (71) and Nolan Arenado (70).
Reach the 40-homer plateau in back-to-back seasons.
Davis needs four more. It would be quite an achievement for someone who didn’t reach 30 in either of his first two full big-league seasons with the Brewers.
“I don’t think about last year. I don’t like to think about last year,” said Davis, brushing off talk of his two-season numbers. “It’s a new year. I like what I’m doing now.”
Davis would be the new Mr. 40-40. Back in 1988, that was Canseco’s handle as the first player in history to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in the same season.
For now, Davis simply is Khrush, the nickname that can be seen above the No. 2 on the back of his jersey this weekend. It’s part of MLB’s promotion having players wearing colorful uniforms and being called something other than their surnames.
“I better live up to that name,” Davis said. “It was fun. I’d just like to turn into that character when I’m on the field.”
Davis hit both his solo homers off Nick Martinez, who scattered four hits in seven innings. Davis went deep in the fourth (2-0 fastball) and seventh (1-2 curve) innings, and the A’s scored their other run in the seventh when Matt Chapman singled home Matt Joyce.
A’s starter Kendall Graveman also lasted seven innings and yielded nine hits, but the only damage came in the opening inning when three of his first four batters got hits, including Adrian Beltre’s RBI single to left.
Graveman got help from a defense that turned three double plays, matching a season high, and first baseman Matt Olson continued to show, on several occasions, that the A’s didn’t take a defensive hit with Yonder Alonso’s departure.
Just four times has an A’s hitter struck out more: Jack Cust twice, Canseco and Jackson. But in an era in which strikeouts are more acceptable and power is more common, Davis fits right in.
Friday, his second homer put the A’s ahead 2-1, increasing his league lead in go-ahead homers to 17.
His power numbers against Texas are especially impressive: 15 homers in 101 career at-bats, his most home runs against any team.
Entering Friday, Davis was 2-for-26 over six games and was hitless in 20 straight at-bats in one stretch.
“That’s part of my job, to have short-term memory,” Davis said. “All we can control is right now. I’m getting better at that. They come and go in bunches. As long as I make those streaks last longer than the bad streaks, I’ll be all right.”
Manager Bob Melvin never seems concerned when Davis goes into a funk.
“He’s always one swing away from doing what he does best,” Melvin said.
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