‘It’s not an easy division’: A’s preparing for tough stretch against AL West foes

OAKLAND — The A’s (17-18) currently sit one game below .500 in early May, much to the surprise of the baseball world at large, and over the last handful of weeks, they’ve captured a fair bit of attention. The extra eyes have been warranted.

Mason Miller, who could go viral on any given night, won American League Reliever of the Month for April. Brent Rooker, who blasted two home runs in one inning in Saturday’s 20-4 win, just won American League Player of the Week. Oakland has won eight of its last 10 games, and despite all that has unfolded in recent months, the vibes are good.

The next two weeks will determine whether they stay that way.

“It’s going to be a quiz for us,” infielder J.D. Davis said. “I wouldn’t say it’s the test or the midterm, but it’s going to be a quiz for us.”

Beginning on Monday, the A’s begin a two-week gauntlet against the best of the American League West. They’ll host the Rangers (19-16), the defending champions, for four games to conclude their home stand. That’ll be followed by three games in Seattle against the Mariners (19-15), who narrowly lead the division, followed by four games in Houston against the Astros (12-22), who have been scuffling but are perpetually dangerous.

“It’s not an easy division,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “This stretch of games here with Texas, Seattle and Houston, you can’t ignore that we’re going into probably as difficult of a stretch as we did when we left … Cleveland, New York and Baltimore. These teams are proven winning ballclubs. They’ve done it for years now.”

Added Miller: “These games are big games. It’s a good barometer of how we’re playing, how we’re stacking up against these guys who are going to be competitive teams throughout the year.”

This next handful of games marks the second three-series trial that Oakland has endured this season.

In late-April, the A’s faced a trifecta of likely playoff teams — all on the road — playing three games against the Guardians in Cleveland, four against the Yankees in New York and three against the Orioles in Baltimore. After being swept by Cleveland, Oakland split the four-game set against New York, then took two of three from Baltimore.

“Our last road trip put us through a gauntlet as well with Cleveland, New York and Baltimore, all at their places,” right-hander Paul Blackburn said. “Being able to split New York and win the series in Baltimore gave us a little confidence moving into this home stand.”

This upcoming slate of games is all the more daunting given how well Texas and Seattle have played recently. The Rangers have won their last three series, winning six of their last nine games behind a Max Scherzer-less starting rotation that has a 2.28 ERA across 55 1/3 innings over that stretch. The Mariners haven’t just won their last five series and 13 of their last 18 games, but they own one of baseball’s best starting rotations, a unit that is third in ERA (3.11), as well as fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (9.24) and FIP (3.43).

While Seattle and Texas are meeting expectations, Houston is off to an uncharacteristically poor start, one defined by injuries. Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier, José Urquidy and Chas McCormick are on the injured list. José Abreu (.269 OPS) struggled so much that he was optioned to the minors, and big free-agent signing Josh Hader owns an unsavory 6.14 ERA. For all their struggles, Oakland isn’t taking Houston, a team that has been to the ALCS in seven straight years, lightly.

“It’s really good to be in (these environments), especially with how young we are,” Blackburn said. “We’re still in May, but we’ve been playing really good ball and those teams are still ahead of us. It gives you that little extra bit of competition where if we come in and we’re able to handle business and win a series here, we’re kind of neck and neck with them in the standings.

Injury updates

• Joe Boyle was placed on the 15-day injured list with a low back strain. Boyle left his start on Sunday after just one inning due to a lower back injury. He will not be participating in baseball activities until he’s ready.
• Zack Gelof (left oblique strain) hit in the batting cage today. He could possibly see “some form of a game” in his rehab at the end of the week, per Kotsay, but that is a best-case scenario.
• Esteury Ruiz was revealed to have a left wrist sprain after undergoing an MRI, but he will play as tolerable. He is in Monday’s starting lineup.
• Luis Medina (right knee Grade 2 MCL sprain) threw a 20-pitch live bullpen. Medina’s next step is to go to Oakland’s minor league complex in Arizona and throw a simulated game on Friday.
• Sean Newcomb (left knee irritation) will throw a bullpen on Tuesday, then go with Medina to Arizona to start facing hitters.