CLEVELAND -- Perhaps the arrival of interleague play will be the shakeup the A's need to steer things back in the right direction.

They wobble into Turner Field today for the start of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves, the final leg of a nine-game road trip that to this point can only be described as discouraging.

The Cleveland Indians made it a three-game sweep Thursday afternoon at Progressive Field, notching a 4-2 victory before a crowd of 26,764. If you're looking for a silver lining, the A's avoided a third straight shutout, though their runs came courtesy of a throwing error by Indians starter Aaron Laffey and a wild pitch by reliever Masa Kobayashi.

The A's hitting woes have followed them across state lines and time zones. Exclude Sunday's 12-run outburst against Texas, and they've scored a total of six runs in the other five games against the Rangers and Indians.

Against Cleveland, the A's advanced a runner as far as third base in just three of 27 innings.

"We're a little down, you know," A's third baseman Jack Hannahan said. "We didn't play very good in Texas, and we're not getting big hits. We need to get hits for these pitchers. We'll bounce back in Atlanta. We're not down and out by any means."

But they're certainly scrambling to recapture the good vibes they built before losing five of their past six. They're 23-19 after climbing to a season-best eight games above .500 at the conclusion of their last homestand.

As poor

as their offense was most of Thursday, the A's had a solid shot at tying the game in the ninth, when they came to bat trailing 4-1. Closer Rafael Betancourt allowed singles to Jack Cust and Bobby Crosby and walked Hannahan to load the bases with one out. Kobayashi entered the game and uncorked a wild pitch to score Cust and make it 4-2, moving the tying runs into scoring position. But Kobayashi struck out pinch-hitters Mike Sweeney and Ryan Sweeney to end the game.

A's starter Greg Smith (2-3) struggled with command issues, running his pitch count to 102 and failing to get through the fifth inning. He allowed three runs and seven hits in 4ª innings. Though he struck out seven, he walked three and hit a batter.

"My fastball didn't locate well at times, and at other times, it just wasn't there," Smith (2-3) said. "I felt good with my cutter and good with my curveball. It was my fastball and changeup, really."

The A's tied it 1-1 in the second, as Rob Bowen hit a tapper to the left side and Laffey (2-2) threw the ball into right field, allowing Crosby to score. That ended the scoreless streak for Indians starting pitchers at 44-1/3 innings.

A key to the A's success in the season's opening weeks was their rotating cast of offensive heroes. Whenever certain hitters went cold, somebody else would heat up to pick up the slack.

Right now, everyone in the lineup is shouldering some blame.

"We have a few guys who are struggling a little bit," A's manager Bob Geren said. "When you have some young players, they're going to have ups and downs. We have to encourage guys when they're going through a rough spot to get back to (the right) approach, not try too hard."

It will be a test for the A's to weather this storm. They now encounter a Braves pitching staff that entered Thursday leading the National League in ERA (3.61).

When the A's return home, they get three games against the surprising Tampa Bay Rays, followed by three more against the Boston Red Sox.

"The message, really, to the players is that there's always ups and downs," Geren said. "Work on your daily approach, your mental approach. You look at short-term goals. I said that in spring training."

Contact Joe Stiglich at jstiglic@bayareanewsgroup.com.