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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Third baseman Josh Donaldson sees plenty of similarities between this Oakland team and the one that stunned the Texas Rangers on the seasons final day last fall. Going on a year after the Athletics made their remarkable turnaround and their push to a surprising AL West title, the defending division champions are on a roll again. "Its contagious, winning, you know? Its about confidence," closer Grant Balfour said. "You see a guy get a big hit and the next guy comes up and does his job. Youre going to have your battles some nights, but that little thing, whatever it is to get over the edge and win that ballgame, is what were doing right now. Its been big." The As have had their share of struggles in the first half, too, not so different from all of those Oakland teams of the past that took off after the All-Star break. While Oakland (38-27) dropped the final two games of its seven-game road trip in Chicago, the As have won seven of 10 and 18 of 23. They entered Mondays off day a half-game back in the AL West race behind Texas (37-25). Starting Tuesday night, the As will get another tough home test when the New York Yankees visit the Coliseum for a three-game series. Less than three weeks ago, things didnt look so good. The As returned from a rough 3-7 road trip and lost for the eighth time in 10 games in a 3-1 home defeat to the Rangers on May 22. Oakland then rattled off a five-game winning streak that featured a three-game sweep at Houston and won the first three in a four-game Bay Bridge Series against the 2012 World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Significant progress by the starting pitchers has been a big part of the recent run. "Theres no doubt thats been a key for us," manager Bob Melvin said. "Earlier in the season, the offence was ruling the day, we were scoring a lot of runs and making up for the ERA as a team were not used to looking at. All of a sudden you come into closer games and were giving up some runs earlier in the game and its a little different story." In those tight games, Oakland is showing some of the late-game magic that helped define last years special season, when the As became the first team in major league history to win a division or pennant after trailing by five games with less than 10 to play. Adam Rosales hit a two-out homer in the 10th inning of a 5-4 win over the White Sox in Chicago on Thursday night -- and he had already hit a go-ahead shot leading off the eighth inning of a 2-1 home victory over the Kansas City Royals on May 17. Oakland has 10 wins in games decided in the final at-bat. "This is kind of more of the recipe we did last year," Donaldson said. "We know we have the guys here who can pitch. Early on they kind of got off to a little rough start and the bats were able to pick them up. But lately whats been separating us from the other teams is our pitching by far -- from the starter to every reliever that comes in and Balfour shutting the door. This is something were definitely going to have to do over the course of the year." Not that Balfour is interested in hearing about his run of saves, 15 in as many chances this year and 33 in a row going back to April 29, 2012, at Baltimore. He is the only closer in the American League without a blown save this season. "I dont know, man. Dont ask me," he said. "Dont talk to me about that. I dont talk about me, Ill talk about the team." And this team has shown some serious resilience dating back to last summer. The As -- with the lowest payroll in baseball last year at $59.5 million -- trailed Texas by 13 games on June 30, 2012. With the fourth-lowest payroll on opening day in the majors this season at nearly $65.5 million, Melvins blue-collar bunch is showing that the As arent content with last falls playoff run. With a majors-best 14 walkoff wins in 2012, Oakland went 94-68 to end a five-year playoff drought. As it has for so long with this club, the pitching is setting the tone again. "I think its something where were feeding off each other," Jarrod Parker said. "This team is built around pitching and defence. Its something where were able to keep our team in the game and at any point weve got some big bats and were able to scratch runs across. I think for us to be solid is what we need, not to be spectacular. We know who we are and we dont try to panic or press. For us to just stay within ourselves and do what were capable of and things will happen." Oaklands starting pitchers have allowed one run or fewer in 11 of their last 23 games, going 13-3 during that stretch. "You cant say enough about these guys and the work they put in," catcher Derek Norris said. "Sum it up to Oakland As baseball. This is what we do well -- we have a good starting rotation, scratch a couple runs across and close the door with our bullpen. Thats what we strive to be, and were doing a great job of it." Balfour and his bullpen mates sure enjoy watching the starters, then backing them up in the late innings. In three recent home games against the White Sox, Oakland held Chicago to three total runs with two shutouts. "You couldnt ask for any more than that," Balfour said. "Its awesome to watch."Cheap Football Jerseys .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Cheap Football Jerseys Authentic . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed. https://www.fakefootballjerseys.com/ . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Football Jerseys China . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Fake Football Jerseys For Sale . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season.Worcestershire 268 for 6 (Fell 116* ) beat Lancashire 267 for 7 (Croft 78, Abbott 3-56) by four wicketsScorecard Tom Fells first century since his recovery from cancer kept alive Worcestershires chances of a quarter-final place in the Royal London Cup with a four-wicket victory over Lancashire at New Road. Fell made 116 not out, his highest List A score, as Worcestershire successfully chased 268 with 14 balls to spare and in the process killed off their opponents hopes of going through to the knockout stage.Worcestershire now have to win their final group game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Monday and look for favourable results elsewhere.For Fell, it was an emotional milestone in his eighth innings since returning to the side a month ago. Having completed two fifties in that time, he moved up a gear to score his maiden List A hundred in an innings of high quality on a pitch where Lancashire found it difficult to dictate to spinners or the slower-paced seam bowlers.Going in as early as the fourth over, when Daryl Mitchell was caught behind off Saqib Mahmood, Fell was into his stride in a partnership of 58 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who got to 30 before he was caught at cover off Tom Smith.Worcestershire had a wobble in six balls from Stephen Parry. Joe Clarke was caught low down at short extra cover for 25 and Brett DOliveira was stumped after charging the left-arm spinner. Ross Whiteley then restored stability with 38 out of 83, and although he was bowled by a quicker ball by Steven Croft, the crowd was ready and waiting for a standing ovation when Fell reached three figures in 104 balls by cutting Parry forr his 14th four.ddddddddddddThe 22-year-old collected one more boundary and could afford to take a back seat as Ben Cox powered Worcestershire towards their target with 31 from 25 balls.In making 267 for 7, Lancashire owed much to their captain, as Croft featured in two significant partnerships during the pace off period. Legspinner DOliveira bowled 10 overs for 27 runs and at the same time medium-pacer Mitchell delivered his first full ration in white-ball competitions this season.The home skipper finished with 1 for 41, his wicket an important one when the dangerous Karl Brown was out for 43, giving wicketkeeper Cox his third catch of the innings.At that stage Lancashire were beginning to repair early damage caused by Kyle Abbotts most effective contribution in Worcestershires overseas position. The powerfully built South African emerged from a sharp opening spell with 2 for 24 from six overs. Smith was first to go, mishitting to mid-off, and Alviro Petersen went for 32, a first victim for Cox.Offspinner George Rhodes accounted for Liam Livingstone with assistance from Cox. This brought in Croft to make 33 out of 64 with Brown before adding 99 in 14 overs with Luke Procter.Croft made 78 from 105 balls, hitting a six and six fours before falling to Ed Barnard. He was brilliantly caught by Whiteley, running in from deep midwicket, but Joe Leach, at short fine leg, hardly had to move to hold Procters mistimed ramp shot on the return of Abbott. The left hander made 47 at almost a run-a-ball. ' ' '