The Oakland Athletics have something to celebrate after the game on Sunday. They managed a victory over one of the tougher teams in the nation, the Chicago White Sox have been virtually unstoppable in recent series. They bring a lot of power and control to the plate, but the Athletics wrested control of the game early on, and asserted their dominance. The game ended in a solid 6-4, it was tough going, but they managed.

Dallas Braden pulled off a solid victory; his first win in 10 games since his perfect one back on May 9^th. Drawing international attention to himself after the event, the pressure has proven to be unbearable, and he has failed to claim another win since then.  Chicago started strong in a fashion truly theirs, but Braden silenced them.

Paul Konerko led with a RBI in the first, and then it turned south for them. Braden did what he does best; strike people out. He retired the next 13 of 14 hitters in quick succession. He reported in a post game interview that he was feeling good, and that the win was a great morale booster, he broke a 5 game losing streak on Sunday. Braden left in the seventh to a powerful standing ovation, he is dearly loved amongst Oakland fans.

This is their fourth straight winning series after the All Star game, a time that many teams used to change things up for the competitive second half of the season. If they can uphold the trend, things will be looking great for Oakland. They have nowhere to go but up, and with Braden showing better command over his pitches thane ever, they have a shot at taking the division. It will be hard work, but these guys are fully capable of it.  Be sure and follow up on them at www.scoresandodds.com, home of the absolute best betting options on all MLB games.