It was just a month and a half ago that the A's were riding a double digit losing streak with one of the worst offenses in the league.

Now? The A's have scored 5.3 runs per game since the All-Star break, and they've been doing it against some very stout teams. Today, the A's scored in four straight innings against Rays SP David Price, spraying seven hits (including two doubles) around the park. They added two more runs in the 8th inning, to bring the A's offense to six singles and three doubles. Conor Jackson continued his torrid post-break pace by smashing two singles and a double, scoring once. Not a bad night from the usually offense-starved club.

Speaking of usually offense-starved, A's SP Brandon McCarthy has been the recipient of more than his fair share of poor run support this year, as he walked into this game with a 3.74 ERA and a 2-5 record. He's been sharper than he was tonight, but that's mostly a testament to how good he's been. McCarthy threw 113 pitches in 8 innings (70 strikes), allowing only a solo HR in his last inning of work. He struck out three and walked two.

If the hits keep coming, the A's could actually make the end of the season fairly interesting. They're already 3 games out of last place, and while they're still a hefty 12.5 games behind the red hot Rangers, the Angels are 9.5 games away. A lofty goal, to be sure, but hey, all year the A's have just needed the bats. Right now? They have them.

The A's start the third game of the series tomorrow night at 7:05.