If you're somewhere outside of Northern California and you just looked at the Major League Baseball standings and had to rub your eyes when you saw that the Oakland Athletics are 76-57, you probably aren't alone.
The Swingin' A's are not only Wild Card spot holders at the present, but they were 3-1/2 games out of first place in the AL West, behind the defending AL champion Texas Rangers when play began Monday.
Can the A's pull it off and make the postseason? Did anyone really give this team a chance to be where they are at this point of the season? Oakland loves the underdog role, and they've perfected it with their low payroll and overachieving players.
The A's have seven games left with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and can knock that underachieving team out of contention for good. Oakland also has nine games left against teams outside their division, and all are contenders -- the Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles.
The A's also have a shot at the Rangers' lead, with seven games left against that team.
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