DETROIT – A's manager Bob Melvin's wish during his pregame Zoom chat with reporters on Thursday was that starter Frankie Montas would go deep enough to spell Oakland's overtaxed bullpen.

Melvin didn't openly yearn for big hits because, well, the A's usually have had that covered lately.

Such was the case again during the A's series finale against the Tigers, when Oakland rode a pair of first-inning homers to a four-run lead during an 8-6 win at Comerica Park.

"I think the good thing about today was all the guys grinded to get that win," said Tony Kemp, who singled in the finale. "I've got to credit our hitting coaches for just giving us a good plan. ... I feel like we did a good job today, getting our foot down early with two strikes and just putting the ball in play."

It marked a critical series victory for the A's (74-60), who trail Boston (77-59) for the second American League Wild Card spot by just two games with 29 games remaining. Just two of the six teams Oakland faces down the stretch, the Royals and Angels, have sub-.500 records, and with six games against the AL West-leading Astros in the final nine days of the season, the A's need all the wins they can get ahead of time.

Oakland worked two walks in the first against rookie Matt Manning to bring up Jed Lowrie with two outs. The designated hitter wasted little time in tagging a 1-0 sinker for a three-run homer that traveled a Statcast-projected 411 feet.

Mark Canha followed suit with a solo shot to give Montas a 4-0 lead before he even took the bump.

"It's a different vibe," Montas said. "Guys are going out there, putting [together] good at-bats, not giving up if there are two strikes. That was a really big key for us."

Montas showed his appreciation by plowing through the Tigers' lineup early, registering seven consecutive outs to start the game before allowing his first hit. The big righty's 18-inning scoreless streak was broken by a solo homer in the fifth, but he sustained minimal damage during 6 2/3 stellar frames.

"I don't know where we'd be without [Montas]," Melvin said. "Since [Chris] Bassitt's gone down and really before that, he's taken his game to a different level."

Montas was knocked from the game with two outs in the seventh after allowing a two-run homer. He finished with three earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out seven.

Meanwhile, the A's piled on, with an RBI double from Starling Marte in the second and a two-run double from Yan Gomes in the third. Both knocks came with two outs.

Eight of Oakland's starting nine had hits by the end of the fourth, with perhaps the biggest dugout cheers reserved for Khris Davis. Melvin said before the game he'd like for Davis to see some action against lefties, and with southpaw Miguel Del Pozo relieving Manning after just 3 2/3 frames, Thursday presented the perfect opportunity.

Davis continued the tear he had been on Triple-A, replacing Lowrie in the fourth and celebrating his return to the A's with a first-pitch ground-rule double that pushed Oakland's lead to 8-0. He added a single in the ninth to finish 2-for-3.

"To get off to a good start like that, first pitch, double, drive in a run, big for him, big for us," Melvin said. "And ... it was a great reaction [from the team]."

Oakland had 12 hits in the game -- five of them for extra bases -- and collected double-digit hits in every contest of the series.

The combination of potent offense and sparkling start delivered Melvin his pregame wish: A's relievers needed to chip in just 2 1/3 frames in the finale after being pressed into service for 8 1/3 innings over the first two games of the series.

It was a good thing, too: Detroit roared back with a five-run seventh before Andrew Chafin slowed the Tigers with 1 1/3 scoreless frames and Sergio Romo slammed the door with the potential tying run at the plate.

"Our bullpen has been good all year," Melvin said. "They're being taxed at this point. We have less guys available from day to day, and a guy that's been really good for us [in Deolis Guerra] gave up some runs. We didn't want to have to use Chafin and Romo, but we did, and they came in and nailed the game down."