ANGELS NOTEBOOK: BASEBALL'S HOTTEST TEAMS GET TOGETHER.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

BALTIMORE - Angels center fielder Darin Erstad was asked whether he believes the upcoming series against the Oakland A's will feel like the playoffs.

``I wouldn't know,'' Erstad said. ``I haven't been to the playoffs. They've been there, we haven't. But this is what we've strived for from day one. It's safe to say this is what we envisioned. We put ourselves in position to have a chance at the end of the year, and now it's a matter of doing it.''

The Angels and A's, the two hottest teams in baseball, begin a four-game series tonight at Edison Field. The A's recently set the American League record with a 20-game winning streak, and the Angels have the longest current streak in baseball at 10 in a row. They play each other eight times in the teams' final 20 games.

``I never thought about it,'' Erstad said of the A's streak. ``If you're talking about baseball history, yeah, it was cool stuff. But my mind is so set on taking every day as it comes. Today's over, now I'll see how my fantasy football team did. That's how it goes.''

Others in the Angels clubhouse paid a little more attention to the A's streak.

``Nobody wins 20 in a row without it going through your mind,'' pitcher Jarrod Washburn said. ``It's a team in your division and a team you're chasing. You notice.''

The Angels have followed manager Mike Scioscia's lead and taken the one-game-at-a-time approach, focusing on the game and opponent at hand. That's why they tried to ignore the A's while they were winning 20 in a row.

--Washburn move: The Angels are considering moving Washburn up in the rotation so he can pitch Thursday against the A's on three days' rest. Washburn went six innings Sunday, throwing 103 pitches.

``As of right now, it's still an option,'' Scioscia said. ``And there are other things we're looking at.''

The Angels also might pitch Kevin Appier, tonight's starter, on three days' rest down the stretch. Scioscia asked both pitchers whether they could do it, and both said yes.

``I've done it before in the minor leagues,'' Washburn said. ``It's Mike's and (pitching coach) Buddy's (Black) decision. As far as I know, right now, I'm pitching Friday. If they want me to pitch Thursday, I'm all for it.''

At least one member of the A's would prefer Washburn pitch on his normal four days' rest and start Friday against Texas.

``Our team matches up with the other guys, but he's got our number,'' Chavez said.

The A's were thinking of holding back pitcher Barry Zito and starting him in Tuesday's game. But Zito started Sunday against Minnesota, so the A's will go with Ted Lilly on Tuesday. Lilly, acquired in a trade with the Yankees, is on the disabled list and will be on a 50-pitch limit.

ANGELS vs. OAKLAND

Time: 7:05 p.m. at Edison Field.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net; 570-AM, 1090-AM (Spanish)

Matchup: Angels RH Kevin Appier (14-9, 3.66 ERA) will face A's RH Tim Hudson (12-9, 3.21). Appier has been the Angels' best pitcher lately, going 5-0 with a 1.09 ERA in his past five starts. Hudson also has been hot, going 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA in six starts in August. Hudson is 9-3 against the Angels in his career. The A's have won seven of the 12 meetings so far this season and haven't lost a season series to the Angels since 1999.

- Joe Haakenson

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ANGELS vs. OAKLAND (see text)