Butler, Harris, Spence adjustments shine in A's victory

OAKLAND -- Shortly after returning to the home dugout following his three-run home run, Lawrence Butler snuck up from behind and wrapped his arms around A’s director of hitting Darren Bush for a giant bear hug.

Butler’s display of affection provided a glimpse into the bond between this youthful A’s club and its coaching staff. In a rebuilding year focused on identifying a core group of players that will help them achieve higher success beyond 2024, coaches like Bush play a crucial role in helping develop young talent such as Butler.

In Oakland’s 7-5 victory over the Angels at the Coliseum on Tuesday night, Butler’s opposite-field three-run blast in the fourth inning was an impressive showing of the rookie’s power tool the A’s have been seeking to unlock at the Major League level. He directly attributes it to working with Bush over the past week to refine his approach at the plate, thus leading to their adorable embrace.

“It was just spur of the moment,” Butler said. “He’s always believed in me, so I just really wanted to let him know that I’m appreciative of him.”

The work began before Saturday’s game against the D-backs in Arizona. There are a few mechanical tweaks involved. Chief among those was getting Butler’s head movement under control to prevent him from drifting and staying back on the ball longer. In just a few days of implementing that new approach, Butler came away on Tuesday with his first home run in the big leagues since April 23 and first multihit game (2-for-4) since May 10.

“I’m seeing the ball way better,” Butler said. “Just a cleaner path to the ball. … It just gets me back to feeling like myself.”

Who Butler is at his best is a compelling talent who ranked as high as No. 4 on Oakland’s Top 30 Prospects list last season. As is the case for most young players, translating those skills into the Majors has been challenging.

Butler’s struggles led to a brief demotion to Triple-A earlier this season before returning on June 18. Tuesday’s performance is a reminder of why the A’s believe he can be a key part of their future.

“This kid has tremendous power,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “When he barrels a baseball, there’s going to be a result. He got to a point where the focus wasn’t just on hitting the ball where it was pitched. It was more just trying to do damage. … When he’s a complete hitter using the other side of the field, you see the results. That’s the potential.”

Butler was one of three rookies who played a key role in Tuesday’s win. There was also Brett Harris, who roped a two-run double in his first game back from the Minors, and starter Mitch Spence, who set the tone by firing 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts.

Each of those rookies has adjustments they’ve worked on:

HARRIS’ HEAD MOVEMENT

Recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas before Tuesday’s series opener, Harris, rated Oakland’s No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline, is expected to get regular playing time at third base after the A’s designated veteran infielder Aledmys Díaz for assignment. Like Butler, Harris discussed a similar adjustment he’s worked on involving his head movement at the plate.

“I had a lot of head movement when I was striding and loading,” Harris said. “When your head’s moving all over the place, it’s hard to track a ball coming 100 mph at you. … Overall, I think I made those adjustments that need to be made.”

SPENCE’S CURVEBALL

Following an outing in Anaheim that was spoiled by a grand slam surrendered to Mickey Moniak, Spence bounced back in his second consecutive start against the Angels. This time around, the right-hander switched up his game plan.

While his signature slider was still heavily featured, Spence integrated more curveballs and changeups than he usually throws to counter a left-heavy lineup. The result was plenty of weak contact, as Angels hitters averaged an exit velocity of 88 mph on their 17 balls hit in play against him.

“The curveball has always been a big swing-and-miss pitch for me,” Spence said. “I feel like I’ve been relying on the slider a lot. The curveball throws in a different variable for left-handed hitters.”