Brugman homers in fifth straight game

Throughout his career, Jaycob Brugman's home runs have tended to come in bunches. But even by those standards, he said what he's done of late is "kind of crazy."

The A's 20th-ranked prospect homered for the fifth consecutive game on Tuesday night, providing all the offense in Class A Advanced Stockton's 7-1 loss to Visalia.

Brugman cranked a solo shot in the fifth inning that got the Ports within 3-1. He has six homers and is batting .450 during the streak.

Visalia starter Brandon Sinnery had jammed Brugman with an inside fastball in the his first at-bat. The 22-year-old outfielder returned for his second plate appearance anticipating the same pitch. When he got it, he didn't miss -- something that's been key in his recent power surge.

"I put a quick swing on it and it felt really good, one of the better ones I've had on this streak," Brugman said. "That's been the key to my success this year, is mainly I've been able to get that pitch and barrel it up.

"In past years and in college and whatnot, I remember fouling some balls off and thinking, 'Man, I should've hit that ball.' Really, I've just trained myself on not missing it, drilling that into my brain a bit: 'This is the pitch I'm looking for, don't want to miss it.'"

Brugman started the streak on Aug. 6, clubbing a two-run shot in the Ports' 6-4 win over Visalia. He homered again the following night during a 3-for-4 performance, driving in two as Stockton topped Modesto, 6-0.

The 2013 17th-round Draft pick got the night off on Friday but returned with another homer in Saturday's 13-1 romp over the Nuts. He added two more roundtrippers the next day in a 6-2 win.

"I'm not really a power guy, but if I get a hold of a pitch, I can do some damage with it," he said. "Lately, I've been getting my pitch. My key is telling myself not to miss that pitch. Of late, I haven't missed it."

Tuesday's solo blast gave Brugman 16 homers on the season, including eight in 32 games with Stockton. The Brigham Young product started the year with Class A Beloit, where he batted .278 with eight homers and an .855 OPS in 70 games.

Brugman got off to a slow start in the Cal League, hitting .239 with two homers in 23 games in July. He's turned the corner since, batting .353 with six homers and 11 RBIs in nine August contests.

"Really, I did nothing different," Brugman said. "What a couple of my teammates told me, what I know to do is just to keep going. You have to keep grinding out those at-bats each game. I knew it would come, hit a streak and just run with it."

Visalia got a big night from first baseman Rudy Flores, who went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs to lift his average to .308. Ryan Gebhardt chipped in three hits, two RBIs and a pair of runs scored.

Sinnery (11-7) earned the win, striking out eight over six innings. The right-hander allowed one run on five hits, including Brugman's blast, and two walks.