Orlando Cabrera is batting first for the A's, he's playing strong defense and this week he showed some leadership skills.
Cabrera was slammed with the White Sox last year for being a selfish player, but after Oakland was shut out for the fourth time this season on Sunday, Cabrera called a hitters-only meeting that sparked the team's biggest output of the season. "It was just to pick us up, play hard, hustle more," he told reporters. "I wanted to tell the young guys we're not going to win every game, but if we're going to lose, we're going to pick the way we lose. We were playing hard, but we have to hustle on every single play and put pressure on the defense."
Manager Bob Geren said, "I think Orlando just wanted to loosen guys up and get them thinking positive."
Cabrera has played every inning of every game for Oakland this season, the only shortstop in the majors to do so. He also has had to adjust to five different second basemen in a little more than five weeks, most recently Adam Kennedy, who is filling in while Mark Ellis is out with a calf strain.
A'S 7, ROYALS 2: For the second consecutive night, Oakland batted around in an inning, scoring five times in the seventh with Jack Cust contributing a three-run double. The A's outscored Kansas City 19-4 in the two-game series. Josh Outman recorded his first victory of the season.
