Yes, the first 5 months was all for show designed mostly to confirm that the Houston Astros will represent the AL West in the ALDS. As for the wild card race? It may as well start on Labor Day, as the regular season ends 4 weeks from today and three teams — Oakland, Tampa Bay, and Cleveland — sit at 58 losses.
First off, if the A’s were to miss the post-season by a game it would be hard to figure out which game cost them the wild card spot. “It was that Sunday game in which we had the lead late and then lost in excruciating fashion.