A's Update: Just a Bunch of People Named Matt Edition

Matt Chapman. Matt Joyce. Matt Olsen. I think the force of Matts alone is pushing them above .500 right now.

The odd part is that it's honestly not really the lineup that's doing the heavy lifting right now. I mean, yes, Khris Davis, Matt Chapman and Marcus Semien are all doing good offensive work, but overall there's just a lot of guys hitting .230 and not doing anything spectacular. Even Jonathan Lucroy's big start has worn off a bit. The bench isn't too potent either, sad to say.

It does seem to the pitching that might be the deciding factor. Sean Manaea, Daniel Mengden and Trevor Cahill are all heading up a potent, surprisingly effective rotation. Yes, injuries have affected the back half, but without injuries we wouldn't have the INEXPLICABLE RESUSCITATION OF FRANKIE MONTAS!! How is he doing phenomenal? How is he back?

Plus, the bullpen is also pretty good. Blake Treinen's a great closer, Yusmeiro Petit's a great setup man, and Lou Trivino has been doing sharp relief work all over. So while the A's aren't making a HUGE splash this year, they're winning games with little things rather than a huge force. They're not too far behind the Angels, whose star has fallen since April, and could theoretically jump into third place. I don't know if the A's have the capable squad, but I'm not ruling it out.

Coming Tomorrow- Former All-Star, WS-winning first baseman, now holding up an NL West squad singlehandedly.