By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–No, the baseball season doesn’t start on July 15, but, yes, the A’s are playing well.

Looking to turn dismal into respectable, the A’s took a big step forward on Sunday, beating the Tampa Bay Rays for the third consecutive day, 3-2, with Billy Butler’s eighth inning home run registering as the difference.

The A’s have won seven of 10 since the All-Star, with all 10 at the Coliseum. Oakland opens a three-game series at Texas on Monday, the first of 12 games remaining with the AL West leaders, nine of those at Arlington, Texas. The A’s remain in fourth place in the division, 12 games behind the Rangers.

Jesse Hahn returned to the big club, and pitched 7 2/3 innings—the second longest start of his career—departing with a 2-0 lead after allowing just four hits. Hahn’s outing impressed manager Bob Melvin, who cited the rigorous program his big right hander undertook at AAA Nashville in order to regain his form of last season.

But Hahn’s impressive outing turned into a no-decision just four pitches after his departure, as rookie Ryan Dull, who had allowed just two earned runs in his last 26 innings pitched, faltered. After starting Kevin Kiermaier with a called strike, Dull threw wild pitches on his next two offerings, allowing Kiermaier to advance to second, then third. Dull’s fourth pitch turned into a no-doubt homer to Logan Forsythe that tied the game.

“I just wanted to get a fastball in and I didn’t execute it,” Dull said. “Could have went with to the slider because we had the base open, maybe a better matchup against Miller. But you can’t second guess yourself anymore, just goes down as I didn’t execute the pitch I needed to.”

When Dull returned to the dugout, Hahn came to him to console the reliever, who admitted he was downcast at having given away the team’s lead and the starter’s opportunity to grab a win. But right after Hahn executed that classy move, Butler changed the narrative with his lengthy blast off reliever Erasmo Ramirez.

Already without Stephen Vogt and Josh Reddick, the A’s were without Coco Crisp as well, due to a reoccurrence of his neck issues. That left the A’s with a makeshift lineup with Jake Smolinski in center field, Danny Valencia (for the first time) in right field, and rookie Ryon Healy hitting sixth. Rookie Bruce Maxwell made his first big league start, catching Hahn, but went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. With all the injuries, catcher Matt McBride was the team’s only positional reserve.

For Butler, the tie-breaking shot could rank as a high point of the designated hitter’s season of relative inactivity.  A career-long designated hitter and first baseman, Butler hit just his third homer of the season. “Country Breakfast,” a mainstay with the Royals for years, has hit 144 home runs at the big league level.

Butler’s shot allowed the team to avoid exposing their lack of depth, and a lengthy ballgame on getaway day. Ryan Madson came on to pitch a perfect ninth inning, striking out the final two batters of the ballgame.

Rookie Daniel Mengden will start for the A’s in Arlington on Monday, opposed by the Rangers’ Martin Perez. Mengden is still looking for his second major league win with his record sitting at 1-5.