Frustrating to think that if the A’s had only lost 3 of the 6 games that have gone south after holding leads late, they would be sitting 2 games over .500. Of course last year at this time the A’s were perfect in games they led after 7 innings, and that perfection would endure all the way into late September. They didn’t need this season to be magical, just not comically bad in this regard.
However, the cost of giving away a game a week for a month and a half is one that was likely going to be issued eventually: the A’s can pretty much kiss goodbye any realistic hopes of winning the AL West.