Despite struggles, Melvin sticks with usual platoons

CINCINNATI -- Though he hinted at some lineup changes following another woeful offensive performance Tuesday night in Cincinnati, A's manager Bob Melvin didn't stray from his usual platoons for Wednesday's series finale.

Rather than Melvin shaking up the lineup, he stuck with the usual lineup against a righty pitcher, Homer Bailey, with Stephen Vogt starting at catcher instead of Derek Norris, who hit a pinch-hit solo homer in the ninth inning Tuesday night -- the A's only run in their past two games.

They've scored just 10 runs in their past six games, leaving 45 men on base in that span while hitting 4-for-42 with runners in scoring position.

"There's a tendency sometimes when you're not swinging well," Melvin said, "to mix things up too much, when we do have a plan here, a formula of how we run our team out there on a particular day."

The only prominent left-handed hitter out of the mix on this day was Josh Reddick, who sat in favor of another lefty swinger in Seth Smith. Reddick is hitting just .152 over the last 21 games and entered the day with a .205 clip on the season.

Melvin also opted to go with the switch-hitting Alberto Callaspo over the hot-hitting Eric Sogard, riding a 12-game hitting streak, at second base. Callaspo came into the game 0-for-his-past-18, including 0-for-11 with the A's. He recorded two doubles off Bailey, but then had to leave the game with a left forearm contusion, suffered in the fourth inning on a play at the plate.

"We'll stay with our matchups," Melvin said. "There are times when, even more so, you have to stick with it. There becomes a point where you shake things up just to have a different look, but this team was set up a particular way, and you're going to go through some struggles. I think, if you stay with those matchups, that they tend to even out at some point."