For the time being, the Athletics have thrown it into reverse.

Aledmys Diaz’s RBI single in the top of the 10th inning followed by Sam Long’s first save of the season gave the A’s a 2-1 win over the host Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday for their fourth straight victory.

With their second straight series win in hand, the A’s (16-50) now have a chance to sweep the Brewers (34-31) today and come home with a 5-4 record on their longest road trip of the season — one that began with four straight losses.

The last four-game win streak by A’s came at the end of last season, when they swept the Los Angeles Angels from Oct. 3-5 after they beat Seattle on Oct. 2.

Saturday, the Athletics got six shutout innings from Paul Blackburn, who looked like the guy who pitched a scoreless inning in last season’s All-Star game before injuries and middle finger issues prematurely ended his season in early August.

Oakland’s bullpen made just one mistake — an 0-1 grooved slider by Richard Lovelady that pinch-hitter William Contreras hit into the stratosphere to tie the game in the eighth inning.

Yet the A’s won anyway.

“This is a great stretch,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay told reporters. “It’s taken a while to get where we’re at ... it’s tough to gain confidence in a season when the results aren’t there.

“Now you can see the group collectively starting to believe in each other and form a culture that is reflective of the performances of late.”

Following the Contreras home run that tied the game, Shintaro Fujinami (3-6) pitched a scoreless ninth with five pitches breaking 100 miles per hour or better. Diaz, who had an earlier double and a hit-and-run single, then delivered the game-winner against reliever Joel Payamps (2-1).

It wasn’t an impressive swing. Diaz reached to get an outside slider and simply grounded it up the middle to score pinch-runner Tony Kemp.

“It was a tough pitch to hit,” Diaz told NBC Sports California. “I was lucky enough to put the ball in play and have the hole there.”

Long, who had just one career save, pitched a scoreless 10th without free runner Victor Caratini getting any farther than third base.

Blackburn was locked in a pitcher’s duel with veteran right-hander Julio Teheran. The A’s got one run in the fifth against Teheran, with Jace Peterson walking, going to third on a hit-and-run single through the right side by Diaz, and scoring when J.J. Bleday beat out a potential double play grounder for a fielder’s choice.

Blackburn struck out five, walked one and threw 95 pitches in six innings as he filled the zone with strikes of various speeds and spins.

“I think that’s something we’ve been focusing on more this year with the mix that I have,” Blackburn told reporters. “Being able to show guys five or six different pitches, it’s a lot for a hitter to come in and game-plan for. Today, when they’re pretty much all on, it’s even harder for them.”

Kotsay agreed.

“That was Paul’s best,” Kotsay said. “You can just see a crispness to his stuff and confidence out there. We all know he’s a competitor. We saw it out there last year in the first half and we saw it today throughout their lineup.”

Outs in the bases >> The A prevailed despite losing four runners on the bases. It started when Ramon Laureano extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a second-inning single and was thrown out at second trying for a double.

The A’s lost a second runner at the plate in the inning when Jonah Bride was thrown out on a gap shot by Diaz on a relay from Joey Wiemer to Willy Adames to Victor Caratini.

In the third, Esteury Ruiz singled but was picked off first base by Teheran, with the A’s believing the veteran pitcher balked. Seth Brown singled in the fifth and he, too, was picked off, although it goes as a caught stealing since he was thrown out trying to take second base.

Ruiz later stole his 31st base in the eighth inning.

NOTABLE >> Austin Pruitt was first out of the bullpen in the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning, followed by Lovelady and finally Long. “Love made one mistake to Contreras and other than that there wasn’t a mistake made today by our whole staff,” Kotsay said. “These guys are ready to pitch, they understand it’s about getting outs.”