A's look to extend streak

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics have won 20 straight games, yet they all know they haven't won anything yet.\nOne look at the standings reveals what manager Art Howe reminds his players: Despite their thrilling charge to baseball's longest winning streak in 67 years, Oakland is just 3 games in front of Anaheim for the AL West lead.\nWith one poor series in the A's final 23 games, the longest winning streak in AL history could become a bittersweet memory.\n"That's one of the most amazing parts of all this," left-hander Barry Zito said. "We've been the hottest team in years, and we're still one bad series away from second place. It just reminds us to treat every game the same way and not think about the streak."\nThe A's, winners of every game on their schedule since Aug. 12, open a three-game series at Minnesota on Friday night with a chance to make their streak the second-longest in major league history. The Chicago Cubs of 1880 and 1935 both won 21 straight; the major league record is 26, set by the 1916 New York Giants.\nThe AL Central-leading Twins, who lost three tough games at the Coliseum last weekend, will break out the famed Homer Hankies at the Metrodome to boost their fans' enthusiasm as they attempt to end Oakland's run.\nA's right-hander Cory Lidle, the AL Pitcher of the Month for August after allowing exactly one earned run in six outstanding starts, faces Brad Radke in the first game.\n"These three games coming up will be the toughest we've played during the streak," said first baseman Scott Hatteberg, whose pinch-hit homer in the ninth gave Oakland a 12-11 win over Kansas City on Wednesday night. "That's a division-leading team playing at home. We'll have to get a little lucky to come out of there with all three games."\nNo matter when it ends, the streak has given Oakland the push it needed to move ahead in baseball's toughest three-team division race.\nWhen the streak began, Oakland was 4 games behind Seattle in third. The A's needed seven straight wins to claim a share of the division lead, and they didn't have sole possession until their 10th straight victory on Aug. 23.\nThe streak began with five victories at home three weeks ago, but it became something special during a 10-game road trip through the Midwest in which the A's pounded their opponents by a combined 81-26.\nThe streak got hairy during a just-completed five-game homestand. Minnesota lost its three games by a total of seven runs, and Oakland needed a three-run homer by Miguel Tejada to snatch their 18th win from the Twins on Sunday.\nKansas City then took a five-run lead in No. 19, and the Royals erased an 11-run deficit in No. 20.\nThe A's visit Anaheim after their three-game series in Minnesota, with the possible record-tying and record-setting games scheduled for next week against the Angels.\n"I guarantee you that nobody on this team has thought about that," closer Billy Koch said of next week's schedule. "It's tough enough beating the Kansas City Royals in one game without thinking about the whole rest of the regular season."\nThe series in Minneapolis is a matchup of division leaders and a probable playoff preview if the A's can hold off Anaheim for the AL West title. The national attention that's been focused on Oakland will shift to the Metrodome as the A's and Twins both attempt to inch closer to division titles.\nBut not even a wild card berth is a certainty for Oakland. The struggling Seattle Mariners are seven games behind the A's -- but everybody in baseball learned what manager Lou Piniella's players can do last season, when they won 116 games.\nThe A's have six games remaining against Seattle, including a three-game series in Oakland next weekend. All told, the A's final 20 games are against division opponents.\nHowe said he would love a couple of easy victories, but his team couldn't get any at home. Perhaps the A's will dispense with the drama on the road, where they've won 15 of their last 17 overall.\n"Winning is sort of in our blood right now," Zito said. "The last three games, we've just expected to have a walk-off hit to end it"