GETTING ALL A'S AGAIN OAKLAND, TIED WITH ANGELS FOR FIRST, HAS SURGED WITH NEW FACES.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

Had they not seen this so many times before, the Angels might be spooked by the stunning run the young, unflappable Oakland Athletics have put together the past 41 games.

But this is the American League West, where there's rarely a free lunch, and so tonight, amid the tooting horns and concrete confines of McAfee Coliseum, the Angels will suddenly be face-to-face with the club that seems to reinvent itself in the second half every year, regardless of roster turnover or injury bugs.

Eight games apart just three weeks ago, the A's and Angels are dead-even entering tonight.

``Every year in this division,'' Angels reliever Brendan Donnelly said, ``it comes down to the end. We lock up 10 more times. Those will be 10 playoff games, essentially.''

Ten unlikely ``playoff games,'' to be sure.

These were the A's that dumped aces Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder in the offseason, saw shortstop Bobby Crosby get hurt the first week of the season, new ace Rich Harden get shelved for two months, closer Octavio Dotel quit to have elbow surgery and key setup man Kiko Calero succumb to injury himself.

They saw third baseman Eric Chavez get off to his typically slow start (.194 in April) and touted young pitcher Joe Blanton lose his first five decisions.

On May 29, they were 17-32. Surely, the second half would be no panacea, and the A's and Angels wouldn't repeat the back-and-forth battles that characterized the 2002 and `04 seasons.

``The whole first part of the year, it felt like this was the year that wouldn't happen,'' said Baltimore outfielder Eric Byrnes, whom the Athletics traded to Colorado in July.

``And then the young pitchers started throwing well, and guys started doing what they're capable of offensively.''

That's an understatement.

The A's have gone on a 34-7 run, winning their last two games at Kansas City by a combined score of 27-1. Rookie closer Huston Street has 13 saves and a 1.31 ERA. Rookie first baseman Dan Johnson homered in four straight games last week, has clubbed 10 home runs in 192 at-bats and has a .557 slugging percentage. Outfielder Jay Payton has been rejuvenated since he was rescued from Boston last month.

Dan Haren, a former Pepperdine pitcher who was acquired for Mulder, has won nine consecutive decisions dating to May 26. Blanton is 6-3 since since June 14. And Barry Zito, the Pierce College/USC standout who is the lone holdover from the Big Three era with Hudson and Mulder, has won his last eight starts, posting a 2.33 ERA in that stretch, and has regained the bite on his beguiling curveball.

Just like that, an almost entirely new crew of players has carried on the tradition of second-half surges in the East Bay. Since 2001, the A's are 217-101 in the second half.

This would be the mother of all comebacks; no team has made the playoffs after falling 15 games below .500.

``They probably have done this a year earlier than some people have expected, given the young guys and the retooling,'' Angels pitcher Jarrod Washburn said. ``They've obviously proven youth is not holding them back. It looks like they rebuilt pretty quick.''

But is this a playoff team in the making or an aberration? A legitimate contender or a band of young players whose vulnerabilities will be exposed down the stretch by advance scouting and familiarity?

Byrnes thinks he has an idea. In handicapping the final 51 games in the AL West, he leans toward the Angels, based on track record.

``Can (the A's) hang? I think for sure they can,'' Byrnes said. ``They're probably the best team in the AL right now. At the same time, I think Anaheim has a great team. I'd say they're still the team to beat.

``They've also been very consistent this year. Oakland hasn't.''

That's about all the Angels have to hang their hats on these days. Their eight-game lead is down to nothing.

Of course, much of that has to do with their pursuers, who seem to defy explanation.

``Nothing's great,'' Donnelly said when assessing the A's. ``But a lot of it's good.''

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

(color) Despite having several new faces in the lineup, the Oakland A's have won 34 of their last 41 games to catch the Angels in the American League West standings.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Box:

ANGELS at OAKLAND

- Gabe Lacques