Painting the AL wild-card picture: Can the Oakland A’s get back into a top spot?

The A’s are into the final month of the season scrambling for their playoff lives.

Oakland emerged from Labor Day weekend 3.5 games out of the second willd-card spot in the American League and sit fifth in the wild-card race overall. It wasn’t that long ago that a division title seemed easily in reach.

On June 16, the A’s led the Houston Astros by 2.5 games in the A.L. West. But as the A’s opened a four-game home series against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, they trailed the Astros by six games and were even a half-game behind second-place Seattle.  Emerging from the mire of a wild card race that’s shaping up to go down to the wire appears to be their best chance at returning to the playoffs.

What’s worse, the A’s tumble down the standings is a result of the team playing its worst baseball since they lost six straight to start the season.

Additions of Starling Marte, Josh Harrison, Andrew Chafin and Yan Gomes at the July 31 trade deadline have helped, but the A’s haven’t been able to recover from their losses. Ramón Laureano’s 80-game suspension for PEDs and All-Star pitcher Chris Bassitt’s gruesome injury sustained when hit in the face by a line drive have taken a toll.

The A’s have gone 12-15 since Laureano’s suspension on Aug. 6, 6-11 since Bassitt’s injury on Aug. 14.

Bassitt’s absence has exposed the lack of depth in the pitching staff. A relatively inexperienced rotation without its ace has been unable to complete at least five innings in 14 of their last 22 starts. That’s trickled down to a taxed bullpen that’s 2-6 with seven blown saves and a 7.85 ERA over their last 13 games. Yusmeiro Petit’s 68 appearances lead the majors and Andrew Chafin (60) and Lou Trivino (60) rank in the top 20 — a reliance on this core of relievers, along with Sergio Romo (56 appearances) and Jake Diekman (56) is catching up.

Things aren’t all bad. The A’s offense is starting to catch some steam at the right time, batting .296 with 41 runs scored and 11 home runs on the road trip to Cleveland and Toronto and averaging 5.42 runs over their last 26 games played.

Though on the outside looking in, the A’s are well within reach of a spot. Heading into Tuesday’s games, the A’s are 3.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox for the second wild-card spot. The Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners sit between them, three games back, with the New York Yankees a half-game up on the Red Sox for the first wild-card spot.

“You know what, I think the best part of our season is yet to come,” manager Bob Melvin said after the A’s were swept in Toronto. “I really do. I think we’re gonna get home and we’re gonna play our best stretch of baseball and we’re gonna get on a run before this season’s over.”

The A’s have a tough series against the Chicago White Sox to get through, then an opportunity to get hot against the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers before crucial home-and-home series against the Mariners and Astros to finish the season.

Here’s how the other wild card teams are doing:

New York Yankees (78-59), 1/2 games in first in wild card

A 13-game win streak launched the Yankees to the top wild-card spot. But they’ve fallen back down to Earth, going 2-7 and batting .202 with a .601 OPS since Oakland ended the streak on Aug. 28. They also lost Jonathan Loaisiga, one of their more valuable relievers, to the 10-day IL with a rotator cuff strain.

Of the five contenders, three reside in the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays running away with the division title — and those head-to-head match-ups could dictate which East team falls or rises to the top. The Yankees play the Blue Jays twice more this season and the Red Sox and Rays once more. Other than that, they play two teams at or above .500 (New York Mets and Cleveland Indians) and two below .500 (Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers).

Wild card chances: Likely. The Yankees needed to gain all that ground in the 13-game win streak, but they could easily lose it all with series against their division foes also gunning for a postseason spot. 

Boston Red Sox: 79-61, second wild card spot

The Red Sox have been ravaged by a COVID-19 outbreak that saw 11 players sidelined, including pitcher Nick Pivetta, closer Matt Barnes, All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts and utility player Enrique Hernández.

Without key players, the Red Sox have been coasting, going 5-5 in their last 10 games. Their next three series against the Rays, White Sox, Mariners in order could make or break them. Save for a series against the Yankees, Boston could gain steam with six games against the Orioles, two against the New York Mets and three against the Washington Nationals.

Wild card chances: Somewhat likely. The Red Sox COVID issue may sink them in the next two weeks. But the final two weeks on their schedule could be their biggest advantage.

Toronto Blue Jays: 74-92, 3 games back for second wild card

The Blue Jays were living outside the postseason picture for most of the season, but have launched themselves back into contention with a sweep of the A’s over the weekend.

Their offense is high-powered, fueled by MVP candidate Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Marcus Semien, Teoscar Hernandez and Bo Bichette. They’ve been missing the shutdown pitching, but Player of the Week Robbie Ray has emerged as a linchpin of the staff.

Toronto plays three series against bottom-feeding teams, including two series against the Orioles and two against the Minnesota Twins. They play the Rays twice and the Yankees twice, too.

Wild card chances: Very likely. The Blue Jays have all the right momentum at the right time. Though they may not have the pitching staff to go far in a postseason, they play the Yankees well and could launch themselves into that first or second spot easily. 

Seattle Mariners: 75-63, 3 games back of second wild card

The Mariners have the pieces, yet none of the consistency to prove they can gain enough momentum to keep a wild card spot. At one point in July, the Mariners were nine games back of first place in the AL West. At the deadline, they traded away closer Kendall Graveman to rival Astros in a trade that netted them third baseman Abraham Toro, who’s been a difference-maker.

The Mariners may sneak in on the back of an easy schedule in which they play the Arizona Diamondbacks, Angels and Royals. A series against the Red Sox and two series against the A’s could decide each teams’ fate.

Wild card chances: Unlikely. The Mariners haven’t made a postseason since 2001, and this might not be the year, either. But they’ve taken advantage with the A’s tumbling backward — they have the young talent to get there.