OAKLAND -- Mark Kotsay is not huge on giving in-game pep talks. After observing some lackadaisical vibes inside the A’s dugout on Sunday afternoon, however, the skipper felt a need to make his voice heard.

The A’s were trailing the Nationals by three runs through four innings, and their struggling offense was not showing much hope for a turnaround. Before the top of the fifth, Kotsay gathered his team for an impromptu meeting to let it be known that the effort level was not up to his satisfaction.

“Just a few kind words,” Kotsay said of his message, “to let them know I wasn’t real happy with how we were going about it.”

It took a couple of innings, but the A’s responded to Kotsay’s plea for more urgency.

After Shea Langeliers’ RBI single in the fifth plated home the first run, the offense fully erupted with a six-run outburst in the sixth that featured a go-ahead two-run single by Abraham Toro, who was batting for the second time in the inning after leading off the high-scoring frame with a walk.

From there, the A’s bullpen trio of Dany Jiménez, Lucas Erceg and Mason Miller held it down by shutting out Washington over the final three innings for a 7-6 victory at the Coliseum. The win secured Oakland its third straight series victory, marking the club’s first time winning three consecutive series since winning five straight from May 31-June 16, 2021.

Going on year three of a rebuild, this 2024 season is when the A’s aim to take a big step forward. They believe this is a much more competitive team that can challenge for a .500 record, which would be a vast improvement over the past two 100-loss seasons.

Time will tell if the A’s can meet that goal. For now, they’re 7-9 and performing like the club they expect to be, kicking off a six-game homestand with continued strong play from a road trip that saw them take two of three against the Tigers and the defending World Series champion Rangers.

“These guys are starting to come together,” Kotsay said. “To come back from behind and hold a lead, there were times last year where we came back from behind but couldn’t hold the lead. … That’s a good sign.”

Here are three takeaways from an eventful series finale:

The bats showed up
The A’s entered Sunday having scored four runs or fewer in 14 of their first 15 contests. So the fact that they had still won five of their last seven games was a testament to the heavy load taken on by the pitching.

This time around, it was the offense picking up its pitching staff. The six runs in the sixth, all of which scored with two outs, marked Oakland’s highest-scoring inning of the season. They sent 11 batters to the plate in a frame that included RBI singles by Tyler Nevin -- who entered the game in place of an injured J.D. Davis -- and Lawrence Butler, who earlier smacked a double that missed being a homer by mere inches and reached base in all four of his plate appearances.

“For everybody to rally up with two outs and get six runs, that was a huge boost,” Butler said. “It was about time we helped [the pitchers] out with some offense.”

Defensive excellence
A 1-5 start to the A’s season was in large part due to a porous defensive showing in which they committed 13 errors through the first five games. Since then, the fundamentals have been on point. They’re making the routine plays.

They’re also producing some gems, with one coming in the eighth courtesy of Erceg. After having a comebacker hit by Jesse Winker ricochet off his foot, Erceg chased down the ball near the infield dirt and went between his legs to smack the ball with his glove just hard enough that it rolled perfectly to first baseman Ryan Noda to end the inning.

One stark difference from last year is the stellar infield glovework. After turning a pair of double plays on Sunday, Oakland’s 23 double plays turned on defense lead the Majors this season.

“We’re still seeing youthful mistakes,” Kotsay said. “But I think they’re starting to feel more comfortable and starting to play defense like I know they’re capable of.”

Miller Time
Mason Miller: The Closer, is quickly becoming a must-watch spectacle. He notched his third career save with a flawless ninth inning in which he struck out the side on 13 pitches. Of his nine fastballs thrown, all of them touched at least 100 mph, with his fastest clocking in at 102.9 mph.