Worth noting

• Prior to Sunday's Little League World Series championship game, players from the Jackie Robinson West team from Chicago were asked who their favorite player is, and three of them named Trout, who has been keeping up with the tournament.

"That's cool," Trout said. "That's one of the things I like to watch on TV is the Little League World Series, see young guys competing on a high stage. Being a role model means a lot to me, for sure."

• With seven days remaining for teams to add players who will be eligible for the postseason, the A's acquired veteran catcher Geovany Soto and placed a claim on Rays shortstop Yunel Escobar, looking to further shore up their roster for the stretch run.

Asked about watching his division rivals make moves, Scioscia said: "I really like our team. I know that [general manager] Jerry [Dipoto] is proactive on continuing to try to improve it. Although we're thin in a couple areas, we have a good team, and that's what we need to focus on. Other teams will continue to improve themselves, but that's not our concern."