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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Mark Mulder has a different record in mind for the Oakland Athletics.

The Bash Brothers of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco set the Oakland standard by winning 14 straight games in 1988.

The 2002 Athletics matched that Tuesday night with a 6-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals. A's starting pitchers have accounted for 13 of the 14 victories during the streak.

''The '88 team made it to the World Series,'' said A's starter Mark Mulder who won his third straight start. ''We'll talk about it once we do a little bit more than this.''

The streak is the longest in the majors since Seattle won 15 straight last season. The franchise record is a 17-game streak in 1931 when the team played in Philadelphia.

''We haven't been making too many mistakes,'' Mulder said. ''We've played solid ball. We've been playing good defense, pitching well and hitting well. All around, we're just playing good ball.''

The A's 3.69 ERA is the best in the American League.

David Justice led the A's offense against the Royals with three hits, including his 10th home run, and drove in three runs.

''He was in the middle of everything,'' A's manager Art Howe said. ''Having a veteran presence in the middle of that order is huge.''

Mulder (16-7) allowed four runs and seven hits in seven-plus innings.

Billy Koch pitched the ninth for his 35th save in 40 opportunities.

Ray Durham homered off Runelvys Hernandez (3-3) in the fifth for the A's, who scored single runs in the third through eighth innings.

''I felt bad about it because I couldn't help the team,'' Hernandez said. ''I didn't have command of my pitches. I lost my changeup. My slider was okay. They are one of the team in the American League. I wanted to stop their winning streak, but I didn't.''

Terrence Long drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly in the third and a double in the seventh.

Justice hit a solo home run in the sixth, an RBI single in the fourth and a run-scoring double in the eighth inning.

Joe Randa had three hits, including a two-run triple in the eighth off Jim Mecir. Carlos Beltran had an RBI single earlier in the inning to end Mulder's night.

Kit Pellow had an RBI single in the seventh for Kansas City's first run.

Hernandez allowed four runs and eight hits, including two home runs, in six innings.

A's catcher Greg Myers left in the ninth with a cramp in his left hamstring and will be evaluated again Wednesday.

Game notes

Royals 1B Mike Sweeney went 0-for-4, snapping his six-game hitting streak, and dropping his league-leading average to .348. ... C Brent Mayne, who is 0-for-14 since having his season-high eight-game hitting streak snapped on Friday, did not start against Mulder. ... Beltran threw out two baserunners and has 12 outfield assists, which ranks third in the AL. ... Ellis batted eighth in the A's lineup for only the second time. ... Royals LF Chuck Knoblauch left after five innings with tightness in left rib cage area.