Ramon Laureano and the sweet smell of victory

There is nothing quite like the feeling of success. For the Oakland A’s, that is something they have felt for their past 11 games, as they have completely erased the bad memories of their less than stellar start to the season. The A’s are riding high and have all the confidence in the universe right now.

While that streak appeared to be in doubt on Wednesday, outfielder Ramon Laureano was not concerned. He could smell that victory was in the air for the A’s.

Ramon Laureano can smell the sweetness of victory

This has been a familiar smell at the ballpark for the A’s over the past few games. The A’s are finding ways to win games that they would have lost at the start of the season, be it a clutch hit, brilliant pitching, or a walk-off error.

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Each victory gives the A’s more and more confidence. While they have to know that they will not end the season with a 155-7 record, there is still a great deal of relief when a team is playing at, or beyond, expectations. That is certainly the case in Oakland right now, especially after that dreadful start to the season.

Laureano has been a key part of that resurgence. Although his 87 OPS+ may be disappointing, he has still been a valuable part of the lineup. He has scored 11 runs and stolen a major league leading eight bases, creating offense where none had been before. Laureano has also hit two doubles, two triples, and a homer.

Obviously, it is still early in the season. The A’s have played approximately 12% of their schedule, which is not nearly enough to tell if they are ready to storm off with the division. However, it is certainly better to be on the winning side, which Oakland has been over their last 11 games.

There has been a certain smell around the Oakland A’s for the past couple of weeks. According to Ramon Laureano, that is the sweet smell of victory.