Oakland Athletics Wiretap

Cespedes Thriving In Shadow Of Fellow Rookie Trout

Yoenis Cespedes is enjoying a great season, but a majority of national attention has been received by fellow American League West rookie Mike Trout.

Trout is the obvious choice for AL Rookie of the Year and maybe even MVP, but Cespedes has meant a ton to the Athletics.

Oakland is 61-35 with Cespedes in the lineup, 12-22 without.

"Trout deserves all the accolades he's getting," manager Bob Melvin said. "But I don't think he means any more to his team than Yoenis means to ours."

Via MLB.com

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A's Have Best Record In MLB Since June 2

The Athletics are 51-27 since June 2, the best record in the Major Leagues.

Oakland has gotten contributions for almost their entire roster during the hot streak and put themselves in the thick of the playoff race.

They have been even hotter as of late. They have won six in a row, eight of nine and 12 of 14. For the first time since the conclusion of the 2006 campaign, the A's are more than 15 games over .500.

Via MLB.com

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Cashman Unsurprised By Cabrera, Colon Suspensions

Brian Cashman wasn't surprised by the 50-game suspensions Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon are serving for failed drug tests.

"Unfortunately, not surprised," Cashman said when asked about his impressions of the news.

Colon played for the Yankees last season, while Cabrera was traded to the Braves after the 2009 season.

"You see some spike in performance," Cashman said. "You hope it's not the case, but you scratch your head and you wonder at the same time. But then you sit there and get a comfort level: Tests are taking place, so if people are passing their tests."

Cabrera had a .906 OPS before his suspension.

"When we traded him to Atlanta we had him as a low-end, everyday regular or an excellent fourth outfielder," Cashman said of Cabrera. "And that's how we show where we thought his ceiling was. As you know, he was starting for us in the World Series, but we had him as a low-end, everyday guy, not a National League MVP candidate. So I wasn't surprised."

Via Andrew Marchand/ESPN

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Cubs To Acquire Blake Recker From A's For Anthony Lalli

The Athletics will get catcher Blake Lalli from the Cubs in exchange for catcher Anthony Recker.

Oakland designated Recker for assignment last week to make room for the return of Brett Anderson.

Recker hasn't played at the Major League level since May.

Via MLB Trade Rumors

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Athletics Drop Reddick To Sixth For First Time Since March

The Athletics had Josh Reddick hit sixth in the team's game against the Rays on Saturday.

Reddick hasn't hit sixth since March 28 when Oakland faced off against Seattle in Tokyo.

The outfielder has hit fifth and seventh once, with 113 of his starts coming in the No. 3 hole.

"I think any time a guy goes through some struggles, you want to change it up a bit," manager Bob Melvin said. "We expect him to be back in the three spot before long, whether it's a couple of days or whatever. But this isn't uncommon over the course of a 162-game season. I can't remember a season where I've had someone hit in the same spot the whole year."

Reddick is batting .149 over his last 23 games.

Via MLB.com

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