HOUSTON -- A's manager Bob Melvin, sensing Ramón Laureano may not take enough time, if any, to enjoy his American League Player of the Week Award, implored his outfielder to spend at least one minute soaking in the honor.

So that's what Laureano did. One minute. No more, no less.

"I enjoyed it for one minute because Bob told me to," Laureano said, with a small grin. "But we keep moving on. This is a new series, very important, and we have to get that ‘W’ at the end."

The A's open their series in Houston this week with ground to make up and a slight pride factor on the line.

But that doesn't mean there wasn't time to acknowledge a fantastic week-long performance by a key A's player, whose bat is partly responsible for the nice run Oakland has been on of late.

Laureano hit .542 (13-for-24) with 10 runs, six doubles, two homers and two RBIs over six games during the award-winning week. He had a .577 on-base percentage and a 1.042 slugging mark, reaching base in all six games and collecting multiple hits in five of them.

"Look at the numbers, it's not a surprise," Melvin said. "I kind of had a feeling [the award] may happen. He's pretty humble about it and kind of tries to play it off...but it's something he should feel proud of. Because the numbers are incredible."

Laureano's breakout performance wasn't limited to just one week -- he's been hot all month. He entered Monday's game hitting .434 (23-for-53) in July, with seven homers, 13 RBIs and a .484 on-base percentage. The A's were 11-4 during that stretch.

Laureano couldn't pinpoint anything specific that he's doing that contributed to his hot streak. If anything, he's working to not change anything.

"I think I just kept everything the same as I always do," Laureano said. "If I feel like I have to make some changes, I do it, but I feel the same. I just have to keep working on the same things, just adjust to whatever comes in the game.

"If there's some situations where I have to move the runner and help the team in some way, that's what I try to do."

Martini called up

It's likely Nick Martini's stay with the A's will be short-lived, considering he's taking the roster spot of a pitcher who's only expected to miss three days. But the timing could pay dividends.

The A's placed lefty Brett Anderson on the paternity list and replaced him with Martini, who, despite pitching the eighth in Monday’s blowout loss, can expect his playing time to come in the form of a lefty bat off the bench in possible pinch-hit scenarios. This could be valuable, given the Astros' bullpen is sans lefty relievers.

"We'll see how it plays out," Melvin said before the game. "There's no for sure role for him right now. I don't know that I see a start for him at this point, but he knows how to come off the bench, he knows how to pinch-hit, he knows how to do things here. It's just an added weapon on our bench and a left-handed bat we haven't had."

Martini ended up playing a lot on Monday. He was inserted into left field in the fourth inning once the game was out of hand, before moving to the mound for his pitching debut.

Martini, who missed most of the first two months of the season with a sprained right knee, was hitting .343 with 33 RBIs across 54 games for Triple-A Las Vegas at the time of his recall. He's batting .457 with runners in scoring position, including a .632 mark when there are two outs.

Big league callups are welcome any time, but it's especially sweet to join the team when it's on a hot streak, as the A's have been.

"It seems like every part of the game is coming together," Martini said before the game. "Everything's been going well here. I'm excited to be a part of it."

Worth noting

• Outfielder Stephen Piscotty, sidelined since June 30 with a right knee sprain, is with the team in Houston as a final tune-up before heading out on a rehab assignment, possibly later this week. Piscotty took batting practice with his teammates on Monday and went through baserunning drills. Melvin isn't sure when the rehab assignment will begin.

"We wanted to get a firsthand look at him," Melvin said. "Plus, he'll take out the lineup card today."

• In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission and first landing on the moon on Monday, the Astros invited Rick Armstrong, son of Apollo 11 Astronaut Neil Armstrong, to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.