Welcome to Tuesday A’s fans!

The final road trip of the season begins tonight with the club set to take on the Boston Red Sox for the first of three games. The A’s just went 1-2 against the playoff hopefuls and will be looking to even their season series up with a series win, or even better a sweep on their home turf. Then they’ll head to Pittsburgh for three games against the Pirates. And that’ll be that for the club’s road trips on the season. The A’s have gone 37-38 on the road this year and a winning record away from Sacramento would be an encouraging thing to hang our hats on during the approaching winter. They’ll have six games left to reach that goal.

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The club also got the news that second-year outfielder Lawrence Butler is the Athletics’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, his first nomination:

Every team gets a player nomination for the award, which rewards excellence off the field and in the local communities they play for. Butler this year founded the L4W Foundation, which seeks to “ignite hope and opportunity in inner-city, underrepresented youth by creating pathways to success through financial education, elite baseball training and impactful mentorship.” That’s a more than worthy cause and Butler could be a legitimate contender for the annual award.

That’s not even the end of his accomplishments off the field. He also took part in other events in the Sacramento area throughout the season, ranging from a Nike RBI Camp for little leaguers to visiting with kids at UC Davis Children’s Hospital. Butler also kicked off the year with the MLB Dream Series at Tempe Diablo Stadium, an annual event hosted in connection with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He’s been busy, to say the least.

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It’s been an odd season for Butler. Entering the year as the unquestioned starter in right field, Butler has fallen somewhat short of the massive expectations that were set for him after his torrid second half last year. He was forced to head to center field after Denzel Clarke went down with injury (that also seems season-ending for the rookie outfielder. Even still, Butler managed to become the Athletics’ first 20/20 player since Coco Crisp accomplished the feat in 2013. And now Butler can add a nomination for the prestigious award to his accomplishments this year.

Game time is at 3:45 PM folks. Until then, have an awesome day and go A’s!

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