SEATTLE -- Writing out a lineup that will appease all of his players is no easy job these days for A's skipper Bob Melvin, who is managing the task as best he can, even if on Sunday that meant sitting designated hitter Billy Butler a fourth day in a row.
Center fielder Billy Burns also remained on the bench, sidelined a second straight game against the Mariners in favor of veteran Coco Crisp, who collected two hits and as many stolen bases Saturday, looking "the best we've seen him in quite a while," said Melvin, who deemed the Burns-Crisp dynamic "a day-to-day decision if both are healthy.