ANAHEIM -- The A’s were in town for what was “Christmas in June” at Angel Stadium on Friday night, complete with decorations scattered throughout the ballpark and a Christmas stocking giveaway. Naturally, Matt Olson got into character and assumed the role of the Grinch.

Olson quickly zapped the Christmas cheer out of the park by sending a fastball from Angels opener Noe Ramirez over the center-field wall in the first inning, his first of two home runs on the night in a 7-2 victory over Los Angeles.

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If it weren’t for a hand injury that forced him to miss a month and a half early in the season, Olson might have a strong case to be a part of this year’s Home Run Derby at the current rate his hits are leaving the yard. Since May 12, Olson’s 16 home runs lead the American League. He’s homered nine times in the month of June and four times through the first four games of the A’s current six-game road trip, also going deep off Angels starter Griffin Canning on Thursday night.

With a couple of days left in June, Olson can still add to the total, which is currently tied for his most homers hit over a month since last June. The tear Olson went on in September of his rookie campaign in 2017, when he homered 13 times might be too much to replicate, but the feeling when he’s at the plate right now is bringing A’s manager Bob Melvin flashbacks to that impressive stretch.

“It’s kind of the same feel as a couple of years ago, when he hit 27 home runs in what felt like just over half a season,” Melvin said. “It’s not just fastballs. He’s hitting breaking balls, sits on pitches at times. The more experience he gets at the big league level, the more aware he is, and it seems like he just gets better and better.”

While a two-homer night is usually cause for celebration, Olson instead sat at a computer inside the A’s clubhouse after the game, studiously watching each of his at-bats from the night while heading back to his locker to explain the feeling he’s currently experiencing at the plate these days.

“Just hitting the mistakes,” Olson said. “I’m in a stretch where I’m not fouling off or swinging through the pitches I should be putting in play. Just trying to keep it rolling.”

The A’s first baseman homered in his first two at-bats on Friday night, as he single-handedly made himself responsible for each of Oakland’s first five runs. Olson also unloaded on a slider from Felix Pena for a three-run shot to right in the third, finishing the game 3-for-3 with a walk and five RBIs. It was the fifth career multihomer effort for Olson, with his last two-homer game coming July 22, 2018, against the Giants.

The way he’s going at the plate, even his foul balls are rockets. Olson nearly mashed a third home run off Pena in the sixth, crushing a 3-1 changeup that sliced just to the right of the right-field foul pole before drawing a walk.

“The main goal is to go up there and put together a quality at-bat,” Olson said. “I just want to keep that feeling going.”

Fiers keeps rolling

The A’s are looking for a member of the rotation to step up and fill the No. 1 starter role in the aftermath of Frankie Montas’ 80-game suspension for PEDs, and Mike Fiers is emerging as the pitcher ready to handle that role as the anchor.

Fiers grabbed hold of the early cushion provided by Olson and made sure to preserve it, as he allowed just one run on six hits and one walk, striking out four batters over 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander has surrendered three runs or fewer in each of his last 12 starts. His 2.61 ERA over that stretch is sixth lowest among American League starters.

“He’s just a polished pitcher. He’s not out there trying to blow it by guys,” Olson said. “He understands that he’s got to move it around to keep guys off-balance. Seems like every time he goes out there, it’s a quality start and he keeps us in the game.”

After a slow start to the season that saw him build up a 7.03 ERA over the first month, Fiers integrated a cutter into his repertoire. It’s a pitch he seldom used in the past, but after catching on to opposing hitters looking to attack his fastball early, he’s now using it more often to offset that aggressiveness.

“I see it every game now. A lot of guys are just trying to get to my fastball early on,” Fiers said, referencing Mike Trout’s first inning at-bat that saw him unload on the first pitch he saw for a flyout. “They’re trying to get that early fastball because they know I don’t give in. I want to get ahead early, so I’m using the cutter to just play off the fastball. If they’re going to swing early, it might not be a fastball. Just trying to keep them honest, and not fall on one pitch.”