Josh Donaldson went 3-for-5 with a homer, a double and three runs scored as the A's beat the Astros 9-7 on Friday. Donaldson has shown that his strong first half was no fluke by shaking off a July slip to hit .293 with five homers and 20 RBI since the beginning of August. Maybe he's no better than the AL's fourth best third baseman, but he's going to deserve some down-ballot MVP votes this year.