After a dismal start, the A’s have moved into contention for a wild-card berth after winning 21 of their past 34 games. The A’s are 43-43 and just 2½ games out of the second wild-card spot as they begin the second half with a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins, who have also played better in recent weeks. The Twins are 26-23 since May 16, but their 36-49 overall record has them 11 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. Read More

Coco Crisp burned his former team for the second day in a row. The outfielder tripled and scored the tie-breaking run in the seventh inning of the A’s 3-2 victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday at the Coliseum. A night earlier, Crisp drove in two of the A’s three runs, including the game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth. The A’s completed a three-game sweep of Boston, their first sweep of the Red Sox since May 2008. Read More

Travis Blackley tossed seven strong innings and Brandon Moss homered as the A’s avoided a four-game sweep by beating the Texas Rangers 3-1. The A’s took the lead in the top of the sixth inning when Jemile Weeks reached on a fielder’s choice, took third on a double by Yoenis Cespedes and scored on a wild pitch by Yu Darvish (10-5). Moss then hit the first pitch of the seventh inning over the right-field fence to pad Oakland’s margin. Read More

OAKLAND — Derek Norris learned a couple of things on Sunday. Shaving-cream pies taste awful. And he loves them. The A’s rookie catcher was smiling despite the lingering sting of the traditional pie-in-the-face celebration that followed his first career homer, a dramatic walk-off three-run blast that lifted the A’s to a 4-2 victory over the Giants at the Coliseum. Read More