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OAKLAND — A’s manager Bob Melvin tinkered with his lineup Sunday, but it had more to do with the health of Matt Joyce than it did the presence of Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani.
Joyce is the designated hitter and will bat fifth after being the leadoff hitter the previous day. Shortstop Marcus Semien normally hits second against right-handed pitchers but drew the leadoff assignment, followed by second baseman Jed Lowrie batting second and first baseman Matt Olson No. 3.
“Today it’s just as much about getting Joycie out of the one spot because of the ankle, so we’ll move him back a little bit,” Melvin said before the series finale.