Khrush mashes in Arlington again, hits 2 HRs

ARLINGTON -- Khris Davis' numbers at Globe Life Park suggest he'll miss this place when it shuts down for good at the end of the season.

Turns out, the A's slugger, too, agrees that the Rangers' ballpark has been good to him.

"It's a good stadium," Davis said. "It's just another stadium, but I'll miss it a little. I have good memories here."

As a member of the A's for the past four seasons, Davis has spent plenty of time in Arlington, home of the American League West-rival Rangers. He made himself at home there again in Friday's series-opening 14-9 win, as he hit a solo home run in the second inning and a three-run homer in the third.

"I was expecting a third one, to be honest with you," teammate Ramon Laureano said.

Davis has 32 home runs in 69 career games vs. the Rangers, which ranks second among active players behind only the Angels' Mike Trout, who has 36. His 19 homers at Globe Life Park rank second by a visiting player behind only former A's slugger Jason Giambi.

Rangers fans, apparently, are aware of this. Davis hears it from fans, who mostly good-naturedly asked the slugger to take it easy on their hometown team.

"The fans know who I am here," Davis said with a smile.

Davis' past numbers at Globe Life Park have been notably consistent, and with 34 games played there, this is clearly not a small sample size. Davis' career average in Arlington is .314. He has 43 hits, 11 doubles and 19 homers in 137 at-bats. In nine games in 2018, he slashed .325/.386/.925. His numbers were similar in '17, over the same number of games -- .324/.378/.588. His 2016 numbers were even better -- .367/.457/1.000.

While most visiting players don't love Globe Life Park -- the combination of an open-air stadium and sweltering Texas summers doesn't exactly make this a destination spot -- there are a few here and there who will miss playing there, elements and all. For Davis, he may actually miss the heat factor, considering he thinks that part may have contributed to his success here over the years.

"The air's lighter when it's hot," Davis said. "It's a combination of things. It's just a comfortable place. It's always hot, and I like hitting in that."

The Rangers, who have played at their current ballpark for the past 26 seasons, are opening a new facility with a retractable roof in 2020. The ballpark, located across the street from the current digs, will be called Globe Life Field.

Down the stretch

A month ago, the A's schedule looked like it was going to be a bear, given the caliber of teams they were playing in a short amount of time. But now, with two weeks left, the narrative has changed.

On Aug. 15, the A's opened a nine-game homestand that included a four-game set against the AL West-leading Astros, followed by three with the mighty Yankees. On Aug. 30, the cycle began again -- three games vs. the Yankees in New York, and after a week "off" against two of the weaker AL teams in the Angels and Tigers, the A's played four at Minute Maid Park, where the Astros have been nearly untouchable all season.

How did that turn out? The A's were 18-8 over that month-long stretch, putting themselves in a tremendous position as they make their final postseason push. From here on out, they play no teams with winning records. (The Rangers reached .500 on Thursday with a win over the Rays.)

They'll also have time to rest and regroup with two off-days mixed in the final two weeks, which probably means regular players won't need any more routine games off. Third baseman Matt Chapman, for example, was out of the lineup Friday, and he can expect that to be the last time he'll be rested during a game.

"He plays at a pace like no other, and every now and then, he needs a day off," manager Bob Melvin said. "You have to be cognizant of that. He wanted no part of a day off in Houston. This will probably be his last one."

Luzardo's next outing?

Melvin reiterated his earlier statement that Jesus Luzardo, who dominated in his debut in Houston on Wednesday, will need several days of rest before he makes his next appearance. While the game situation will dictate when he'll pitch, the earliest would be Sunday in the series finale with the Rangers.

Luzardo, the A's No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is tabbed as a future starter, but for now, he'll continue to pitch in relief. The lefty retired nine of 10 batters he faced in the A's win over the Astros on Wednesday.

"I think he's comfortable doing the piggyback thing," Melvin said. "It's kind of like starting, it's just starting a little bit later. The way our guys are pitching right now, I don't think we try to jam anything in there, just to try to get him a start, at least at this point."