The Athletics went 4-2 last week on the road against the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, cementing their spot at the top of the AL West. Sitting at 15-13 with a one-game lead over the Rangers in the division, the A's also hold the third-best record in the entire American League. The New York Yankees (18-10) have the best record, and the A's beat them in two of three games, also on the road, earlier this season. Things are looking up for the A's right now, and part of the reason for their good fortunes has been their pitching staff, which holds a cumulative 4.42 ERA between the rotation and the bullpen. That ranks 21st in MLB. That said, some changes could be on the horizon. With off-days before and after the series in Texas, the A's have decided to skip over left-hander Jacob Lopez's spot in the rotation, and will instead be going with Aaron Civale, Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs in this week's series against the Kansas City Royals. In Sunday's game, starter J.T.…