OAKLAND -- With the A’s shifting their focus in the second half toward identifying which of their several young players on the roster will be part of the foundation for the future, evaluations are beginning to intensify. Rookie Jonah Bride is among those under close watch. 

In the A’s 7-5 loss to the Astros on Friday night at Minute Maid Park, Bride showed his potential as a building block for next year and beyond by impressing both at the plate with a pair of extra-base hits while also showing some nifty glovework at second base.

Bride, Oakland’s No. 27 prospect, opened the scoring by roping a double off the left-field wall in the second inning that scored Sean Murphy. In the seventh, his double down the left-field line knocked Houston starter Luis Garcia out of the game and set the table for what ended up a three-run frame for the A’s. 

Both of Bride’s doubles came off fastballs from Garcia, further validating what the A’s believe to be the best fastball-contact ability of any player in their entire system.

“He’s always had a good approach, and the one thing we’ve noticed is he’s able to hit fastballs,” A’s hitting coach Tommy Everidge said of Bride. “What that leads to is you’re not then cheating and getting exposed [on] breaking balls. He was our best hitter overall on fastballs in the Minors and even combined in the big leagues. Being able to see those solid at-bats, it’s also leading us to believe this is something important with him that we know plays.”

Since returning from the injured list on July 25, Bride has collected at least one hit in eight of 12 games played. Now 24 games into his Major League career, Friday marked a career-high three times in which he reached base, as he also drew a walk in the eighth to load the bases, and his fourth career multihit performance.

Bride was one of a few young hitters in the lineup who contributed to Oakland’s 11-hit total for the night. Vimael Machín added a pair of singles, along with a hit each from rookies Cal Stevenson and Nick Allen, all of whom are expected to receive increased playing time over the final months of the season. 

“Bride had a good night offensively,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “There were some good at-bats by those guys down at the bottom of the order tonight. Machín, Bride, Stevenson. Nick Allen’s at-bats were solid.”

Most young hitters get to a point in their young career where they develop a clear weakness. For Bride, it’s been his struggles against breaking balls, which he entered the night hitting just .143 (3-for-21) against as opposed to a combined 14-for-59 against fastballs and offspeed pitches. That along with figuring out how to counter getting pitched inside to is what has been his emphasis in the batting cage before games, which paid off on the inside fastball he drove for his first double on Friday.

“At times, that inside pitch, I’m getting beat,” Bride said. “We’ve been working on trying to catch the ball out more in front a little bit and do some damage. It was a good day to have that happen today.”

Having played mostly third base upon getting called up to the Majors in June, Bride has been getting a lot more time at second base in recent weeks. The defense has looked sharp, continuing Friday as he helped turn a pair of double-play balls in the early innings for rookie starter Adam Oller, who battled command issues and finished allowing two runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.

Knowing he’ll be in the starting lineup on a near-everyday basis has built confidence in Bride over the past month. The chance to solidify his spot for the future is there. All that’s left to do is go out and perform. 

“They’ve given me great opportunities,” Bride said. “You don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself. Everyone around here has been great to me. All the older guys have given me confidence, and the coaches as well. It’s time to really settle in.”