ANAHEIM -- An offensive outburst on Saturday evening brought victory to the A's -- and heightened intrigue to the American League West race.
Never mind the Wild Card competition; the A's, still in possession of the second spot following a 7-0 victory in Anaheim, have every reason to set their sights even higher these days.
Just 3 1/2 games separate them from the first-place Astros with seven weeks to play, following Houston's third straight loss to the Mariners on Saturday.
The A's got two homers from Marcus Semien, who last went deep June 17, and yet another from a red-hot Khris Davis -- his 13th in 18 games and 34th overall -- as part of a 14-hit attack against the Angels behind a stellar Edwin Jackson.