Wendle excels after being thrust into leadoff role

ARLINGTON — When Oakland pulled the trigger on a Brandon Moss trade and reeled in Joey Wendle from Cleveland nearly two years ago, the whispers ran rampant: Wendle’s offense was considered well ahead of his defense. The young infielder got word and went to work to quiet them.

“I had always taken a lot of pride in my defense, so that was something I kind of wanted to prove wrong,” Wendle said. “My goal is always to be a balanced baseball player, someone they can rely on both offensively and defensively.”

Wendle has shined on both sides of the ball since earning his first promotion to the big leagues on Aug. 31, impressing with every move, be it with his range in the field or his smartness at the plate, where he’s been thrust into the leadoff spot of late for the first time in his professional career.

For the second time in as many days Sunday, Wendle reached base on the first pitch of the game, bunting for a single. On Saturday, he homered in the same situation, sparking a club that had been gutted by a walk-off loss the night before, later producing a sacrifice fly that was just as telling of his abilities.

“The last thing you want to do is roll over a ball and keep it in the infield,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “He stayed inside it …

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