Manager Bob Melvin runs down his post-clinching checklist as the A’s look ahead to their third straight postseason appearance: getting Chad Pinder healthy, resting some regulars, fine-tuning others.
“You have to try to get everybody in the right frame of mind,” Melvin said, “and hopefully the right amount of at-bats so all of them can be productive.”
As for the postseason rotation, Melvin emphasizes that first, the A’s want to clinch the American League West. He also hopes to know Oakland’s opponent in time to line up the pitching.
“I think the good thing about our rotation is we feel good about all these guys,” Melvin said. “The opponent has something to do with it. Obviously, all these guys are going to get starts leading up.
"Hopefully, we're in a position where we can do things the way we want to if we end up winning a division here at some point in time. And then monitoring what the best chance will be for which team. So there’s still some time left for that.”
At least, there’ll be no winner-take-all AL Wild Card Game, which the A’s have lost in each of the past two years.
On the other hand, even if the A’s win the division and achieve the AL’s best record, they will still face a two-of-three first-round series.
“It's better than one,” Melvin said. “At least it's a three-game series, which is more like baseball. I certainly understand that Wild Card dynamic. It’s winner take all, it’s great theater. There have been a lot of really good games too.”
But the A’s will play the entire Wild Card Series at home. Beyond that, this season's uniqueness has prompted Melvin to say that the best thing is to roll with the punches.
“This is just a different season,” he said. “I don't critique good or bad. You know, whether it's the new rule changes or a lot of the stuff that’s been going on.
“It’s just a season that you have to kind of persevere through and understand there's going to be a lot of hurdles and just keep playing. So it is what it is. It’s an expanded playoff, which I think are good for a lot of reasons in a short season. So yeah, I'm cool with it.”
Around the horn
• Shortstop Marcus Semien, the longest-tenured A’s player, said his final week goals are basic.
“Well, I think just stay healthy and gain momentum going into the playoffs,” he said. “For a guy like me, it’s working through small injuries or whatever it is. You don't necessarily want to sit out to rest. You want to get into a rhythm going into it.”
As for the bubble for the final three rounds of the postseason, he said, “MLB is doing what they have to do to keep us safe. And to keep it going, you know that we don't want to have any outbreaks, and the bubble seems like the best way to do that.”
• Melvin said Pinder hasn’t resumed baseball activities as he recovers from a strained right hamstring. He’s eligible to return Wednesday, but Melvin said it could be the final weekend of the regular season before he’s back on the field.
• The A’s entered play on Sunday 10-7 since resuming play on Sept. 4 after a positive COVID-19 test. They missed four scheduled games over five days. The A’s are 8-7 against the National League West, compared to 24-12 against the AL West.