As the A’s lurch back and forth between good streaks and bad, it becomes ever more evident that this year’s club is probably looking, at best, at a .500 mark and middle-of-the-pack finish.
Inconsistent offense and dreadful defense will make it tough for Oakland to climb back into contention; Houston has emerged as the division’s star club and the wild-card teams aren’t likely to come out of the mediocre AL West.
Which means that some point, the A’s will turn toward their future, that group of well-regarded position players at Triple-A Nashville. But they’re not going to rush anything.