MLB Playoff Standings: A's In Fight With Orioles, Yankees

After Thursday night's games concluded, the Oakland Athletics sat atop the American League wild card race for a spot in the AL Playoffs with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees right on their tail.

The A's have a record of 82-61 heading into their three-game series with the Orioles this weekend in Oakland. The Orioles are 81-62, making this weekend's series pivotal in the playoff race. The Yankees have the same record as the Orioles as both teams are tied for the AL East division lead. The Yankees face the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at home in a three-game series this weekend.

The A's season ends with only one cupcake series (against the Mariners) while the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers and Yankees are still to come. The A's face the Rangers in a four-game series in Texas and another three-gamer to finish the season.

For complete MLB standings, check here.

For more on the A's, check out Athletics Nation.

Athletics Vs. Angels: Oakland Can't Complete Sweep, Loses 6-0

The Oakland Athletics weren't able to complete a four-game sweep against the Los Angeles Angels, but they'll settle for taking three out of four. A big inning doomed the A's in a 6-0 loss at Angel Stadium on Thursday afternoon.

Brett Anderson matched Angels starter Jered Weaver inning for inning until the seventh. The Angels exploded for six runs in the frame as Anderson was tagged with his first loss of the season.

Torii Hunter scored the first run of the game when he led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a home run. The Angels never looked back, plating five more runs in the inning. Those runs came on RBI singles from Mark Trumbo, Alberto Callaspo and Hunter and a wild pitch.

For more on the Oakland Athletics, join the discussion over at Athletics Nation. For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Angels, please visit Halos Heaven. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Yoenis Cespedes Injury: Athletics OF Leaves Game With Right Wrist Sprain

Oakland Athletics left fielder Yoenis Cespedes sprained his right wrist against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday while sliding into second base, according to CSN Bay Area. After reaching first on a walk, Cespedes slid into second but hit Angels shortstop Erick Aybar in the process.

Listed by the team as day-to-day, Cespedes was pulled in the bottom of the fifth inning. Brandon Moss took over in left for the injured Cespedes, and Chris Carter replaced Moss at first base.

Often injured this season, manager Bob Melvin has been careful with Cespedes and most recently was only playing him as a designated hitter. Cespedes has missed 31 games this season because of a strained left hand and a strained hamstring.

But when healthy, the left fielder batting .287 with 18 home runs and 68 RBI has been a key to Oakland's success. The Athletics have a 70-38 record when he's in the lineup, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

That statistic rings true on Thursday. The score was tied 0-0 when Cespedes left the game, but Los Angeles won 6-0.

Check out Athletics Nation for more on the Oakland A's, or hit up SB Nation's MLB hub, Baseball Nation.

Athletics Vs. Angels: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Oakland Athletics will look to close out a crucial four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday afternoon in Anaheim.

The A's, who enter Thursday's play trailing the A.L. West-leading Texas Rangers by three games, will send left-hander Brett Anderson (4-0, 0.69) to the mound. Anderson, who is coming off a 13-month rehab stint after Tommy John surgery, has been a huge boost down the stretch to an already strong A's starting rotation.

The Angels will counter with their ace, Jered Weaver (16-4, 2.86), who is returning to the rotation after battling biceps tendonitis. The tendonitis flared up after he was hit in the right shoulder with a line drive off the bat of Seattle Mariners' second baseman Dustin Ackley in early September.

The A's have 3½-game lead over the Angels in the A.L. West standings heading into Thursday's play.

First pitch is slated for 12:35 p.m. PT, and the game will be televised on CSNCA.

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Athletics Vs. Angels Final Score: Oakland Gains Another Game Over Halos With 4-1 Win

The Oakland Athletics are on the verge of sweeping the Los Angeles Angels in a huge four-game series. The A's picked up their sixth straight win by a final score of 4-1 on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.

The A's jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, when Yoenis Cespedes scored on a fielding error by Erick Aybar. In the sixth inning, Yoenis Cespedes hit his second home run of the series -- and 18th of the season -- to push the Oakland lead to 2-0.

Josh Donaldson led off the eighth inning with a double. He came in to score on another double, this time from Derek Norris, to make the score 3-0. Coco Crisp drove in Norris with an RBI single to put the final Oakland run on the board.

Albert Pujols managed to lead off the ninth inning with a home run to prevent the Angels from being shut out, but the A's were able to hang on and get the final three outs.

A.J. Griffin was fantastic once again, notching the longest outing of his young career by pitching eight shutout innings. Griffin improved to 6-0 after allowing just six hits and striking out six, while walking none.

For more on the Oakland Athletics, join the discussion over at Athletics Nation. For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Angels, please visit Halos Heaven. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Athletics Vs. Angels: Oakland Eyes Third Straight In Anaheim

After taking the first two games of their series against the Los Angeles Angels, the Oakland Athletics look to keep the good times rolling on Wednesday night behind rookie phenom A.J. Griffin.

Even though Griffin (5-0, 2.21 ERA) didn't join the A's until June 24 and missed almost a month on the disabled list, he has allowed just two runs in 12.1 innings since coming off the DL, earning two wins in the process. Griffin is 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA in four starts away from Oakland this year, including out dueling Felix Hernandez in his last outing in Seattle, giving up one run with strikeouts in 5.1 innings on Friday. Griffin has now tied Todd Burns' 1988 mark as the only Oakland pitchers to start their careers 5-0.

The Angels will counter with Ervin Santana (8-11, 5.21), who is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA against the A's this seaosn. He has given up two runs and four hits in both of his last two outings, fanning 10 Tigers in 6.2 innings of work en route to a 3-2 win in his last start.

First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PT with coverage on CSN California and 95.7 The Game.

For more on the Oakland Athletics, make sure to check out Athletics Nation. For the Angels side of the story, head over to Halos Heaven.

MLB Standings: A's, Giants Extending Leads

The San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics are playing well to end the season and extending their leads in the playoff race. A look at the MLB standings shows both teams comfortably in front with just three weeks left in the regular season.

The Giants are well ahead in the NL West standings, as the Dodgers have fallen six games behind San Francisco. The Giants extended their lead in the last ten games, winning two more than Los Angeles over that span.

The A's are four games from falling out of the last Wild Card spot. They have also tightened up the AL West race, pulling within three games of the division-leading Texas Rangers. Winning the division would allow Oakland to avoid the one-game playoff that features the league's two Wild Card entrants at the end of the regular season.

For the complete standings, head over to S.I.'s MLB Standings page.

For more on the A's, check out Athletics Nation. To stay updated on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles.

Athletics Vs. Angels Final Score: Oakland Comes Up Big In 6-5 Win

The Oakland Athletics will do no worse than a series split in their four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. On Tuesday night, they held on to win their fifth straight game by a final score of 6-5.

Yoenis Cespedes led off the second inning with his 17th home run of the year to give the A's an early lead. The Angels answered back in the bottom of the inning with a two-run Vernon Wells homer to go ahead 2-1.

The A's put together a three-run top of the fourth. Brandon Moss hit a two-run homer -- his 18th of the year in just over 200 plate appearances -- and Stephen Drew hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.

With two outs in the seventh inning, Torii Hunter hit a solo homer to cut the lead to one run. The A's managed the dagger in the top of the ninth. With two outs once again, Coco Crisp hit a triple that Hunter misplayed into a two-run, inside-the-park home run (of sorts) that pushed the lead out to 6-3.

Those runs proved to be invaluable. The Angels mounted a huge comeback in the ninth inning as Hunter and Albert Pujols hit RBI singles to cut the lead to 6-5 before Grant Balfour could record an out. Jerry Blevins struck out Kendrys Morales and managed to get Howie Kendrick to ground into a double play to end the game.

Oakland starter Dan Straily allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk in seven innings of work, striking out eight

For more on the Oakland Athletics, join the discussion over at Athletics Nation. For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Angels, please visit Halos Heaven. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Athletics Vs. Angels: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Oakland Athletics will rely on the arm of rookie Dan Straily in the second game of a pivotal AL West series against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium.

Straily, regarded by many as the top starter in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League this season, has appeared in three games for the A's this season, posting a 1-0 record and a 3.18 ERA in 17 innings of work. His last start against the Angels was a rough one however, as he gave up five runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings.

The Angels will send right-hander Jerome Williams (6-7, 4.59 ERA) to the mound. Williams, whose most recent role for the Angels has been as a long reliever, will step in as a spot starter for the first time since July 19.

The A's took the first game of the four-game series last night with a 3-1 victory behind a stellar outing by starter Jarrod Parker, who threw seven innings of three-hit ball.

The first pitch in Anaheim is slated for 7:05 p.m. PT, and the game will be televised on CSNCA.

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Athletics Vs. Angels Final Score: Oakland Strikes Back With 3-1 Win

The Oakland Athletics managed to exact a measure of revenge on Monday night. In the first game of their four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, the A's picked up a 3-1 victory to snap the Angels' six-game winning streak.

The A's scored right away, picking up a run in the first inning on an RBI groundout from Seth Smith. In the bottom of the third, Torii Hunter tied things up with an RBI double. The score stayed 1-1 until the fifth inning, when Brandon Moss hit his 17th home run of the year to put the A's ahead. In the sixth, ninth-place hitter Cliff Pennington added another solo shot for a huge insurance run.

Oakland starter Jarrod Parker picked up his 10th win of the season as he held the Angels to just three hits and two walks in seven innings of work. Oakland pitchers held the Angels to only four hits. Grant Balfour picked up his 17th save.

For more on the Oakland Athletics, join the discussion over at Athletics Nation. For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Angels, please visit Halos Heaven. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Brandon McCarthy Injury: Erick Aybar Exchanges Texts With A's Pitcher

Erick Aybar was just doing his job. He was in the batter's box, as he's been thousands of times before, waiting for a pitch.

He's had many hits in his career, except they haven't involved the opposing pitcher needing surgery after taking a line-drive off the head. With the help of Angels broadcaster Jose Mota as translator and mentor, Aybar was able to deliver a message to Brandon McCarthy via text message.

On Friday, McCarthy's wife, Amanda, responded to Aybar's text with gratitude for the player's concern and an update on his status. Later on, Brandon got a message to Aybar, letting him know he'll be all right.

Just because Aybar is a professional athlete doesn't mean he's immune to feelings of guilt and anguish. The Angels PR staff could have done the talking for him via a team statement. Instead, Aybar wanted the message delivered in his own words. English isn't Aybar's first language, but the message came across perfectly.

Athletics Vs. Angels: Oakland's Lineup For Important Series Opener

Monday night marks the beginning of a key series for the Oakland Athletics, as they look to widen their Wild Card lead over the Los Angeles Angels and other teams. Oakland hopes to avenge a sweep up north, and in the process flatten any hope the Angels have of catching them. Here's Monday's lineup for the A's.

1. CF Coco Crisp

2. RF Seth Smith

3. DH Josh Reddick

4. LF Yoenis Cespedes

5. 1B Brandon Moss

6. C George Kottaras

7. 3B Josh Donaldson

8. SS Stephen Drew

9. 2B Cliff Pennington

The starting pitcher for Oakland is Jarrod Parker, who is seeking his 10th win. The A's are led by Cespedes in batting, who sports a .289 average with 16 home runs and 16 RBI. Kottaras is playing in just his 14th game of the season.

For more on the Oakland Athletics, join the discussion over at Athletics Nation. For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Angels, please visit Halos Heaven. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Athletics Vs. Angels Series Preview: TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers & More

The Athletics were swept by the Angels at home last week. They will try to return the favor in a massive four-game series in Los Angeles.