Semien’s dive and glove flip shows the progress he’s making

Marcus Semien’s ever-improving defense is a bright spot for the A’s in the second half of 2015.For the night, it wound up not meaning much.

But Marcus Semien’s ability to start a double play in the fourth inning suggested that whatever else is happening with the A’s, he is continuing to make progress on his defense.

The Angels had a 4-1 lead with no one out in the fourth and runners at the corner. Reliever Arnold Leon, just up from Triple-A Nashville, had just entered the game. He immediately induced a grounder up the middle from second baseman Taylor Featherston.

The grounder could have been an RBI single. Instead, Semien did an all-out dive to his left, snaring the ball. There was no time to…