OAKLAND – Take your pick regarding who made the A's biggest contribution Sunday.

Was it rookie right-hander Jarrod Parker, who pitched eight sterling innings, or Coco Crisp, who delivered a career-high-tying five RBIs?

Their performances highlighted a 7-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians that completed a three-game sweep before an announced crowd of 20,130.

Toss in the 10th anniversary celebration of the A's 20-game winning streak, and it made for a feel-good weekend at O.co Coliseum. Coming off a 2-4 trip, the A's appreciated the boost in spirits.

"We hadn't lost back-to-back series for a while," manager Bob Melvin said. "It didn't feel great on the road. … To win three games like this and sweep a team at home, it gets you past a difficult period."

OK, so beating up on a bad team isn't worth too much excitement, and the Indians (54-67) certainly fit that label. But the A's (65-55) entered the weekend 22-23 against teams with losing records, so whipping an inferior squad was noteworthy.

Now they'll try to build on their momentum as the Minnesota Twins, who own the American League's worst record at 50-70, arrive for a three-game series beginning tonight.

Minnesota will encounter a team that's suddenly clicking on all cylinders offensively.

The A's mustered just five runs and 14 hits in a three-game series at Kansas City to end their last trip. Three games against the Indians produced 21 runs and 32 hits.

But it's fair to say the A's most important individual performance Sunday came on the mound.

Parker (8-7) hadn't won since July 21, and he entered Sunday with a 6.15 ERA over his previous seven starts. With left-hander Brett Anderson likely to rejoin the rotation this week – an announcement on his status will come today – Parker might have been pitching to keep his spot in the rotation.

If that entered his thoughts Sunday, he wasn't letting on.

"We're all excited to have Brett back, and, obviously, whatever decision is made is made," Parker said. "I can't control that, and it's not my job to do that."

He dodged trouble early, stranding runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings, but then settled down, retiring 16 of his final 18 hitters. Parker scattered six hits, and the eight innings tied his career high for longest outing.

"I thought he was terrific," Melvin said. "He had some baserunners early and had to pitch out of a couple jams, and then he was just on cruise control after that. It was one of his better performances."

Parker's pitch count was just 93 after eight innings, but with the A's monitoring his workload late in the season, Melvin brought in Ryan Cook for the ninth.

"It's Bob's job, and I trust in every decision he makes," Parker said. "Obviously, he has my future in mind and the best interests for the team."

Crisp's three-run homer off Justin Masterson in the fifth inning put the A's ahead 5-0. He also had run-scoring singles in the third and sixth.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

• Read more articles by Joe Stiglich

Order Reprint