The words were so tiny that they were barely readable, but that was the idea. Printed in small font around the edges of the lineup card, hidden if one were to take only a cursory glance, was a thread of subliminal messages left by bench coach Joe Maddon to motivate the Angels hitters.

But while the Angels missed the message, the Athletics sent one that couldn't be ignored in a 3-0 victory before 42,285 Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.

Barry Zito pitched seven shutout innings and escaped jams at every turn. Relievers Justin Duchscherer and Huston Street completed the seven-hitter and the Angels saw Oakland take two out of three games to leap over Texas into second place in the American League West.

The Athletics again got strong starting pitching, making the Angels hitters look like they were swinging the way they did in a trying April. While the Angels still have a 6 1/2- game lead over Oakland, the A's are 32-13 since May 30, the best record in baseball.

"It's big to win two out of three games here," said Zito. "We've got to send a message to the Angels that we're coming."

The message wasn't lost on the Angels.

"Any time you have pitching like Oakland does," Angel starter Paul Byrd said, "anything can happen."

The game began to unravel after the Angels ignored the first of Maddon's messages: "It's a mortal sin to waste good pitching."

Byrd (9-6) pitched well enough to win, but the Angels gave him no support and he surrendered two home runs in six innings.

He left a 91 mph fastball over the plate for second baseman Mark Ellis, who lined a two-run home run to left field to give the Athletics a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning.

Byrd, who allowed three runs and six hits and struck out four, had been solid through the first four innings. He threw first-pitch strikes to 11 of the first 14 batters he faced, but fell behind, 3- 0, when he surrendered a leadoff home run to Mark Kotsay in the sixth.

Meanwhile, the Athletics (49-45) watched Zito (8-8) locate his fastball and snap his curveball with stunning effectiveness.

The 27-year-old ace won his fifth consecutive start, his longest winning streak since he won 10 games between his Cy Young season of 2002 and the start of 2003. His ERA is 1.21 in his last five starts.

He worked out of trouble in the second, fourth and fifth innings, but pitched with no more guile than he did in the seventh. With runners on second and third and already having thrown 109 pitches, he stayed in the game to face the left-handed Adam Kennedy with two out.

Zito threw two curveballs for strikes, then finished off Kennedy with an 88 mph fastball, completing an effort in which he allowed five hits, walked two and struck out six.

"That was really the story," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Barry did a good job getting out of jams."

The Angels paid for overlooking another one of Maddon's messages: "Patience in RBI situations."

The Angels (56-39) threatened Zito in the fourth inning, with Garret Anderson and Bengie Molina (4-for-4 on his 31st birthday) collecting singles to put runners on the corners for Juan Rivera, a .361 hitter with runners in scoring position.

Zito had the answer, jamming Rivera on a 2-and-1 changeup and getting him to ground into an inning-ending double play. Zito also got Steve Finley to hit into an inning-ending double play with two on in the second.

The Angels threatened in the fifth, but with Orlando Cabrera on third base, Zito retired Chone Figgins with a ground ball to end a 10-pitch at-bat.

The Angels have scored one run in their last 22 innings. Vladimir Guerrero is in a 4-for-42 slump. The Angels are 12-13 against left- handed starters and Randy Johnson pitches against them tonight for the New York Yankees.

As they stumble through July, perhaps the Angels would be best advised to heed one final Maddon message if they want to defend their A.L. West title: "He who hesitates stops."