O’s fighting for wild card

It’s the second week of August and the A’s are just now getting around to facing the Orioles.

The four-game series against Baltimore at the Coliseum is the first time the teams have played since last year; Oakland already has completed the season series with six other American League teams.

Baltimore had a great start this season, going 22-10, but the Orioles have gone 35-48 since then after winning Thursday night’s game. They had the worst ERA in the league, 4.90 going into Thursday, including a 5.57 mark by their starters, but the team is right in the wild-card race, 1½ games back of the second slot.

“They got off to a real hot start and then went through a difficult period and (it) looks like they’re playing better now,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “You always want to catch a team when they’re not playing too well. But they always have different facets they can beat you with.

“You look at their pitching numbers overall from afar and it doesn’t add up, but you look at the depth of their bullpen and (manager Buck Showalter) does a great job with that. You know they’re going to hit some home runs; they have some great power. They make you work as a pitching staff. But they’re playing well right now, they’re a good team on top of it and they’re well-managed.”

Khris Davis’ yips: In a story he wrote for the Players’ Tribune, outfielder Khris Davis discussed his throwing issue, which he says is all mental and which he calls “The Creature.” (Many players refer to the yips, a sudden inability to throw, as “The Thing.”)

“I’ve known about this for a while,” Melvin said. “For him to go out and do it takes some courage, to have an article like that written, and it gives you some insight into what he goes through. But he does not take it to the plate with him.

“He’s been consistent with us, he’s one of the premier power hitters in the league and he’s found a way to deal with it. There have been very few games here where I’ve had to take him out for defensive purposes, maybe a handful. You have to admire him for what he goes through and still performs in the fashion he does.”

Briefly: Josh Phegley (oblique) caught two bullpen sessions Thursday and he is hopeful he’ll start taking batting practice Friday . ... Phegley is likely to go on a rehab assignment within a week. He could wind up being optioned to Triple-A Nashville when ready to return, should the team elect to stick with Justin

Garneau . ... The A’s have gone a franchise-record 155 games since their last complete game, by Kendall Graveman on Aug. 19, 2016, at Chicago.