A's takeaways: What you might have missed in 3-0 win over Angels

The A’s spent their Monday morning discussing the coronavirus outbreak within the Miami Marlins, which led to two games being postponed and heightened awareness within the clubhouse about the dangers of playing baseball in a pandemic.

They were able to shake off those serious issues and focus on baseball during the first contest after unwelcome news broke and execute to near perfection in a 3-0 victory over the L.A. Angels at Oakland Coliseum.

Starter Chris Bassitt threw four shutout innings and the bullpen backed him up. The A’s defense was excellent and position players flexed some serious muscle at the plate.

Ramon Laureano, Matt Chapman and Mark Canha drove in runs this one, which secured an important series win with the Colorado Rockies coming to town starting Tuesday.

Getting three wins in four tries doesn’t constitute a hot start, but it shows the A’s emerged from an abbreviated training camp with high expectations overhead heading in a positive direction.

Here are three takeaways from Monday’s victory over the Angels.

Just win (series), baby

Every game is magnified in a short, 60-game baseball season. It weighs 2.7 times more than usual, creating what players believe is an intensified atmosphere trying to achieve desired results.

Deep down, however, a basic baseball adage rings true over 60 or 162: Win enough series and you’ll contend. The A’s won three of four against the Angels, an excellent start to the 2020 campaign. They don’t have to win every game and should put pressure on themselves to do so. Snagging a series win is always worthwhile and will help ensure the A’s sit in playoff position atop the AL West or in second place.

The A’s have been notoriously slow starters, and this initial series victory could give them the confidence required to start hot and keep a good thing going.

The best part about the first four games: The A’s are getting contributions from all over. Their stars are playing like stars. A deep bullpen has been excellent and the defense (more on that later) has been as stellar as you’d expect.

Exit velocity shows Chapman locked in

Elite A’s third baseman Matt Chapman had just a hit and a walk in this season’s first 13 plate appearances, good for an .083 batting average entering Monday’s game against the Angels. While, you’d be right to say that’s a super small sample size not worth fretting over, everything is magnified during a shortened 60-game season.

Despite just three games without much offense, manager Bob Melvin was asked pre-game about Chapman’s offense. The All-Star answered those questions about a slow start without saying a word, looking absolutely locked in the series finale.

Chapman got hits in his first three plate appearances, including an RBI-double in the third inning that left his bat at 104 mph and sailed right over Mike Trout’s head in center field. His first-inning single was scaled at 103, and his fifth-inning base hit went into the field at 93.

The exit velocity shows Chapman was getting good wood on the baseball, a positive sign for an A’s team that will need Chapman working at an MVP level this season to realize championship aspirations.

Chapman finished the day 3-for-4 at the plate, which vaulted his batting average skyward in this early season. He can carry a team if he gets hot, so extending an excellent performance from one game to another will be key to the A’s establishing themselves in the early going.

A’s defense saves the day (again)

While Matt Olson’s towering walk-off, extra-inning home run will be the lasting memory from the A’s Opening Day victory, the defensive play the first baseman made the half-inning earlier was equally important.

Excellent defense is the oft-forgotten ingredient to the A’s winning formula, taking a back seat to their penchant for scoring runs in bunches.

[RELATED: Matt Olson wears masks playing first vs. Angels]

Matt Chapman and Mark Canha were offensive stars of the day, but what happened in the bottom of the fourth was vital to a Monday victory. Starter Chris Bassitt worked his way out of big trouble with assists from his infielders. Chapman got the first out at home, where he threw Justin Upton out. Then Bassitt, working with bases loaded and out, started a 1-2-3 double play to get out of the inning.

This game could’ve gone differently had the A’s not executed well on defense, proof positive that defense wins series (and possibly championships).