A day after Matt Joyce went 3-for-3 with two walks against the Yankees, the A’s right fielder was a popular pregame talking point Sunday.
Joyce homered on the first pitch he saw Saturday and appears to be adjusting well to batting in the leadoff spot. He’s 13-for-33 (.394) and has an on-base percentage of .487 in his past 11 games.
“That’s a key. … We’ve gotten some guys on base early in games, and that’s impactful,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “You want guys on base when your middle-of-the-order guys come up.