"We know where we are," Wedge said Sunday night. "Ultimately, We know what's within our grasp. That's enough."

What's within his team's grasp, of course, is a playoff spot. The Indians head into their three-game series Monday night against the Athletics with a 1 1/2-game lead over the Yankees and 2 1/2-game lead over the A's, who lost, 7-4, Sunday afternoon to the Rangers.

So the A's will come into The Jake with a sense of urgency. The last time they were here in late May, they left carrying 4-1, 6-3 and 6-2 losses with them. Back then, the Indians were just struggling to get to .500, and so were the A's.

Now, both teams have had stunning turnarounds. Both are in the thick of the Wild Card race. But the Tribe is leading it, so the A's can't afford to lose more of these three games than they win.

Then again, neither can the Tribe, which knows the Yankees are nipping at its heels.

For the Indians, they should have three things in their favor Monday night: They have one of the hottest teams in baseball, homefield advantage and one of the hottest pitchers as well.

Since his record stood at 6-9 in July, left-hander C.C. Sabathia has reeled off seven wins in a row. He's done it with a more complete mix of pitches.

He's no longer just the thrower; he's become a pitcher, which makes his stuff play better. Of course, he still has the fastball to rely on when he needs to, but he's settled into the mid-90s with it, which has given him greater command of it.

The combination has made him more effective.

But will it be effective against the A's, a team Sabathia has had little success against in his career?

Pitching matchup:
MIN: RHP Danny Haren
• 12-10, 4.04 ERA in 2005
• 0-0, 6.75 ERA vs. CLE in '05

CLE: LHP C.C. Sabathia
• 13-9, 4.35 ERA in 2005
• 0-1, 30.86 ERA vs. OAK in '05

Player to watch
Jhonny Peralta's bat might be heating up again. He seems to have shaken an early-September funk, which is good news for Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez. They need Peralta to be productive so they can be productive. Haren needs to make sure he keeps Peralta in check.

Quotable
"Really up and down the lineup, we have some pretty good at-bats (Saturday). It took us awhile to see him." -- Wedge, commenting on Twins starter Scott Baker

On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• OAK: FSN
• CLE: FSN

On radio
• OAK: KFRC 610 AM
• CLE: WTAM 1100 AM

Quick hits
The Indians have won seven straight games. ... With his RBI double in the first inning Sunday, Coco Crisp extended his hitting streak to eight games. ... Victor Martinez's two-run homer in the first Sunday was his 19th homer of the season. ... As a team, the Tribe hit for the cycle in the first: Grady Sizemore's triple, Crisp's double, Peralta's single and Martinez's home run. ... Sizemore's two-run homer in the second Sunday gave him 19 for the season. ... Ronnie Belliard's three-run homer in the second Sunday gave Belliard 13 for the season. ... With his single in the sixth Sunday, Ben Broussard snapped a 0-for-16 slump. ... Cliff Lee won his 16th game of the season Sunday. Lee has not lost a game since July 8 in New York. ... Now 5 1/2 games behind the White Sox, the Indians are the closest to the top of the Central Division since April 20.

On deck
•  Tuesday: vs. Oakland, 7:05 p.m. ET
•  Wednesday: vs. Oakland, 7:05 p.m. ET
•  Thursday: Off-day