Stephen Piscotty's three-run homer in the fourth inning Tuesday night might not have seemed all that important at the time. After all, the A's already were leading the Cubs 8-0.
But that blast marked Piscotty's 10th of the season, giving Oakland 10 different players with 10 or more homers, setting a franchise record.
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"We've got guys who can thump," Piscotty told reporters after the game. "It's fun when everyone's taking part in it and contributing. There have been injuries here and there and guys are stepping in and rolling with those opportunities, so it's not a surprise to me."
Matt Chapman leads the team with 24 home runs this season, followed by Matt Olson with 22 and Ramón Laureano with 21. Marcus Semien is next with 19, while Khris Davis and Mark Canha have 17 apiece. Jurickson Profar's 15 give the A's seven players with 15 or more round-trippers. Piscotty, Josh Phegley, and Chad Pinder all have 10.
"That's kind of who we are," Oakland manager Bob Melvin told reporters. "We hit a lot of home runs. ... When you have that many guys up and down your lineup who can do some damage, it means you get some guys on base and you're one swing away from several runs."
As a team, the A's have launched 180 home runs this year, tied for sixth-most in the majors. That puts them on pace for 256 long balls, which would break the franchise record of 243, set in 1996 by Mark McGwire and company.
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Chapman, Olson, Laureano, Canha, Profar and Phegley are all on pace to set new career highs in home runs, while Semien is on pace to match his. That type of power-hitting depth makes the A's lineup nearly impossible to navigate.
Every single hitter Melvin sends to the plate has the potential to do serious damage. There are simply no easy outs.
