KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There's nothing to this major-league hitting thing. Just make your hair longer and make your swing shorter, and you're set. Just ask former Husker Dan Johnson, now a rookie first baseman with the Oakland Athletics.

"It's the same old game. Baseball's baseball," said Johnson, sounding like a clubhouse veteran, not a youngster in his first season in the bigs.

The slugger's red hair is a few inches shaggier than the look he sported when he was driving in 86 runs as a Husker senior in 2001, but the big numbers are still there.

Johnson, who was called up May 27 when designated hitter Erubiel Durazo was placed on the disabled list, leads the A's in slugging percentage (.546) and batting average (.321). He has 10 homers and 31 RBIs for the season. On the seven-game road trip that ended Sunday — the A's went 6-1 while visiting  Minnesota and Kansas City — Johnson hit .346 with four homers.

The home runs came in four consecutive games, leaving Johnson one game short of tying the club record for a homer string.

"We were looking for him to give us some power, and he's certainly done that," said Oakland manager Ken Macha. "He was a major factor in all the games on this road trip, with the exception of (Sunday)."

Johnson, who will turn 26 Wednesday, was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts Sunday at Kauffman Stadium, but the 2004 Pacific Coast League Player of the Year has been on a tear otherwise, just like the A's, winners of 10 of their last 11.

Johnson said his swing has changed considerably since his days in Lincoln, where he led the Huskers in slugging percentage in 2000 (.849) and 2001 (.752).

"It's completely different," he said. "I used to be real low to the ground. Now I'm kind of up and I'm open, where I used to be really closed. I had a long swing back then, and I've cut it way down."

Both Macha and A's hitting instructor Dave Hudgens marvel at Johnson's batting eye.

"When you have a nice strike zone like he has, and you're able to lay off pitches, then you're going to have more success," Hudgens said. "There's a few different pitches you see up here that you don't see in the minor leagues. The ball moves later. The sliders are sharper. It takes a little bit of time to make that adjustment."

Macha said Johnson, who missed a chance to play in the majors last fall because of a bout with vertigo, has the visual power to make those adjustments in a hurry.

"I just mentioned to our pitching coach the other night," Macha said, "his vision must be exceptional because he makes up his mind whether he's going to swing or not early."

Oakland outfielder Mark Kotsay has been impressed with Johnson's devotion to the game.

"One of the positives is he worked hard to get here," Kotsay said. "He knows what it means to be here.

"He's definitely a rookie who has a good head on his shoulders."

The only night Kotsay might have gotten an argument on that was June 21 when Johnson started to head for the dugout with only two outs during a game at Seattle.

The rookie had a good sense of humor about the incident, as relayed at the time through mlb.com: "Hey, the only people who saw it were the 35,000 people in the stands and however many people were watching on TV. So, what, 600,000 give or take? Nice."

Johnson, a native of Coon Rapids, Minn., was able to play in front of a friendlier audience last week at the Metrodome. The Twins got a big attendance boost from all the extra Dan fans in the stands.

"He had a ton of people," Kotsay said. "That can be good and bad because it can weigh on you. I know he's probably pretty drained after this road trip."

Johnson was happy to see the old gang from Coon Rapids and Blaine High School. He even hit a couple of homers for his cheering section.

"It was nice for them," he said, "because they had never seen me play besides on TV."

They'll get another chance to see him on TV this week when the A's face the Angels in a battle for first place in the AL West, and the way it's going, Johnson's fans might get the chance to see him on national TV again in October.

"He's been swinging the bat well," Kotsay said, "and is a big part of this team's success."

Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@journalstar.com.