OAKLAND — It wasn’t quite full-on panic mode pregame in the A’s clubhouse, but the mood was a little more tight. Entering the night losers of three in a row for the first time in nearly two months, they needed a game like this.
With the Tampa Bay Rays already winning earlier in the day, the A’s were in danger of seeing their lead for the second AL wild-card shrink even further. But an offensive explosion that featured a five-RBI day by Stephen Piscotty and a quality start by Brett Anderson helped the A’s snap a three-game losing streak in Wednesday’s 10-0 win over the Angels, shrinking down their magic number to six and staying 2 1/2 games back of the New York Yankees for the top AL wild-card with 10 remaining.