OAKLAND — You only have to go back a few weeks — to June 15 — to find a time where it was realistic to think that that the A’s were going nothing more than to be a mediocre team in 2018.
That was the night the A’s fell behind 8-0 to the Angels, en route to an 8-4 loss, and sophomore third baseman Matt Chapman went on the disabled list with a wrist injury.
Manager Bob Melvin lamented after the contest that his team was playing its worst ball— the loss was their 12th in their last 13 contests against American League West foes, and it dropped their record to a fourth-place 34-36, 11 games back of a Wild Card spot.