K. Davis, Plouffe back in action vs. Giants
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SAN FRANCISCO -- Sitting in the visiting clubhouse of AT&T Park on Friday night, his upper right leg wrapped in ice, Khris Davis said he's ready to get back to the outfield Saturday.
Davis (quad) went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Giants as he returned to game action for the first time since March 22. He ran out a couple of ground balls but otherwise played it cool as the team's designated hitter.
"They told me not to push the running," Davis said. "So I was just going out there and getting my reps and seeing some pitches. It was OK. I'm not as consistent as I want to be, but it's just reps and a matter of time with that."
Davis led the team with 42 home runs last year, and A's manager Bob Melvin said the right-handed slugger is "cemented" as the team's No. 4 hitter. The next step is to get him some time in left field during Saturday's exhibition finale against the Giants before Opening Day.
"It's not imperative, but I'd like to get him out in the outfield for a little bit [Saturday]," Melvin said.
Davis wasn't the only one to return to the lineup Friday night after dealing with an injury. Third baseman Trevor Plouffe (abductor muscle) batted fifth and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his first game action since March 25.
The A's were held to just one run Friday, when Jaff Decker hit an RBI double to score Mark Canha in the eighth. Oakland made things interesting by loading the bases in the top of the ninth, but Ryan Lavarnway grounded out up the middle to end the contest.
"You would like to [score more runs], but a lot of games are played like that here," Melvin said. "Overall, that's a good game. Obviously, you want to win it. But the intensity is high and towards the end of Spring Training, or in Spring Training games, you're not going to see the intensity like that very often. I think leading into the season, it's better for us to play where the at-bats seem a little bigger and you've got to make the plays. Good for some of the younger guys in the game, too."