The A’s finished out the month of August just hoping to put the focus back on baseball.
It was a 31-day period in which the spotlight shone far too much on off-field issues pointing to clubhouse dysfunction, from the fight between Billy Butler and Danny Valencia to the discontent of Coco Crisp, which eventually led to the trade of the veteran outfielder to Cleveland.
Oakland finished 10-18 in August due in large part to a sputtering offense, which generated the fewest runs in the majors (96), the third lowest batting average (.235) and the fewest home runs in the American League (28).