Adam Dunn didn’t wait long to make an impact on his new team.
The struggling Oakland A’s acquired the veteran slugger over the weekend in an attempt to wake their dormant offense. Coming off an embarrassing weekend sweep by the Los Angeles Angels, the A’s needed a shot in the arm, and they got it from Dunn’s bat Monday, when he hit a towering two-run homer in his first Oakland at-bat.
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Even more important for the A’s is that Dunn’s home run propelled them to a 6-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. Oakland manager Bob Melvin called Dunn’s debut “storybook,” while Dunn said he just wants to help out any way he can.
“Obviously you want to do well for your new team, but the ultimate goal is the pennant race,” Dunn said, according to USA Today. “You do what you have to do this last month. I can speak pretty passionately about it — these chances don’t come along very often, especially for some of us, so we’re going to take full advantage of it.”
The A’s had lost five of their last six games entering Monday. With the win, they still sit 4 1/2 games behind the Angels in the American League West, five games back in the loss column.
The A’s offense has hit a wall since July 31, when they shipped cleanup hitter Yoenis Cespedes to the Boston Red Sox for left-handed ace Jon Lester at the non-waiver trade deadline. Dunn is hitting just .224 on the season, but Monday’s blast gives him 21 home runs and 54 RBIs. And if the A’s ever need an extra arm late in a game, Dunn can help there, too.
Thumbnail photo via Kelley L. Cox/USA TODAY Sports Images
