OAKLAND -- It was just a two-run homer in the fourth inning, but Mark Canha felt like celebrating. So he flipped his bat.
In the end, who could blame Canha? Ultimately, his round-tripper turned out to be "the biggest hit of the game," in Oakland manager Bob Melvin's words. Canha's clout lifted the A's to a 4-2 triumph over the Angels on Saturday.
Canha thus made the most of his first start of the season, which came in center field. He's expected to start again Sunday when the A's and Angels conclude their four-game series.
Melvin respects Canha's ability to swing effectively in spot starts off the bench. "We know that when he gets consistent at-bats, he tends to be pretty good," Melvin said.
Canha also tends to be pretty excitable, as his bat flip demonstrated. "Whenever I do stuff like that, it's really kind of spur-of-the moment," he said. "None of it's planned."
But, as Canha explained, a properly executed flip must not be premature. His Saturday night drive off Angels right-hander Felix Pena, for instance, resulted from a solid visual perspective.
"Sometimes I end up in the position where I see it off the bat and I know it's gone right away," Canha said.
Canha was deserving of a start. He drove in 11 runs in exhibition games, tied for first on the team, and his .525 slugging percentage was fueled by two home runs and four doubles.
"He brings a lot of energy," Melvin said of the fifth-year veteran. "He's been around for a while now, he's one of the senior guys here, and he's really made himself into a nice player and a versatile player."