A’s: What will it take to make the playoffs? Five ways to make it happen

With the first half of the season over, the A’s are on a familiar pace heading into the home stretch. That could bode well for their shot at a fourth straight postseason appearance.

Though they played some of their worst baseball over the last 15 games, the A’s won 52 games before the AllStar break and are 3.5 games back of the hot Houston Astros for first place in the American League West.

“Overall, I think we underachieved almost the whole first half,” Chris Bassitt said Sunday. “I thought our hitting was spotty, our pitching at times was spotty. Obviously, our record is pretty good, but I think we can do a whole heck of a lot better.”

The A’s may be underachieving a bit, but a few trades, bounce-back performances and a clean bill of

health could help them have a second half that shocks the baseball world. Here’s a closer look at five keys to securing a postseason berth in the second half.

STICK WITH THE SECOND-HALF TREND >> Asked to reflect on their first-half performance, a number of A’s players invoked the team’s recent history as a good second-half team as an indication they’re on the right path.

As a Texas Ranger for over a decade, Elvis Andrus spent years on the other side of A’s second-half surges, so he knows the deal.

“This team is so resilient. We play hard. And we know that usually Oakland starts playing a lot better in the second half,” he said during the A’s series against Texas.

After the 2019 All-Star break, the A’s went 46-24 (.657 winning percentage), securing a wild-card berth behind the 107-win Astros. In 2018, they went 42-23 (.646) to close the season after a 55-42 record (.567) in the first half.

With a 52-40 record now — and skipping over a 60-game 2020 season with no official first or second half — the 2021 A’s are mirroring past season trajectories. Granted, the A’s were playing better baseball leading up to the second halves of 2018 and 2019 — 7-3 in their last 10 games before the break both seasons. They went 3-7 over the last 10 games prior to the break this year.

Candidly, some A’s said they could use the break. Maybe a little rest will help them rev the engines again.

“It’s the time of year where you’re kind of trying to get to the All-Star break and then try to catch a second wind and go from there,” Bassitt said. STAY HEALTHY >> It may not seem like it, but the A’s are one of the healthiest teams in the big leagues at the All-Star break. It’s alarming, then, how the A’s performed when they lost just one of their core players in the lineup.

Mark Canha removed himself from a game in Texas on June 24 and has been on the injured list with a hip strain since June 25. The A’s are batting .205 with 51 runs scored (3.64 per game) over the last 14 games without him. A’s leadoff hitters are batting .185 with one run and six walks over that span. It may be a coincidence that Canha’s injury coincides with the skid — perhaps the team just needed a breather — but the A’s simply don’t have the depth to make up for core player losses. Call-ups Skye Bolt, Jacob Wilson and Frank Schwindel aren’t seeing many at-bats.

The functionality of this team hinges on everyday players at full strength.

According to Baseball Prospectus, the A’s five players currently on the injured list is the fewest among all 30 teams and the A’s 17 active players on the injured list this year in total ranks as fifth-least among all teams. On the injured list now are Canha, Mitch Moreland, Chad Pinder, Mike Fiers and Trevor Rosenthal. Injuries to Ramón Laureano, J.B. Wendelken, Jesús Luzardo, Stephen Piscotty and Burch Smith have cut into the team’s depth.

Canha and Moreland (undisclosed ailment) are expected back after the break. Pinder strained his hamstring during the last series in Texas and could be out for an extended period of time given his history with hamstring injuries. Fiers, who consulted Dr. Andrews for an elbow sprain last month, doesn’t have a timetable to return and closer Trevor Rosenthal will miss the entire season.

A clean bill of health is easier to attain in theory than in practice, but the A’s will be in good shape if they can get Canha back and keep this number down.

TRADE FOR ANOTHER POWER BAT>> The A’s lack of depth is apparent when a player like Canha goes down, so why not add some help? One way the A’s could strengthen their offense is to add more depth. A trade for Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo would be unlikely, but his 24 home runs and 21% walk rate would be the kind of boost this team needs. Granted, the A’s may not have the prospects to compete on the trade market for Gallo.

With the Twins plummeting in the standings, the A’s could also seek a trade for designated hitter Nelson Cruz. Cruz is high profile and could demand a haul, which could price out the A’s. But his 18 home runs and .930 OPS could raise the A’s ceiling significantly on offense.

ADD MORE BULLPEN DEPTH >> This is almost assuredly going to happen; best believe the A’s baseball operations are scouring the market for cheap contracts to acquire.

Rumors have swirled that the A’s could be a logical trade destination for Cubs All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel, but don’t expect it. They’ll likely shuffle the deck through more unpolished gems hoping to find a pearl.

LUZARDO AND PUK RECOVER >>

Every contending team is looking to bolster its bullpen. If flamethrowers Luzardo and A.J. Puk can find their footing, the A’s might not need to look further than their two standout left-handers for help.

Luzardo and Puk were supposed to elevate the pitching staff this year, but both have run into consistency issues they’re ironing out with Triple-A Las Vegas.

With an MLB-leading 527 2/3 innings pitched and 3.72 ERA, the rotation is a picture of consistency. The bullpen is getting the job done, but could take a step forward with a pair of high-ceiling arms finding their footing in the big leagues.

After sustaining another shoulder injury in April, Puk needs to stay healthy and string together some clean innings in Las Vegas before he can return to a major league mound. Luzardo needs to start throwing more competitive strikes, simple as that, and piece together good outings in Las Vegas before he is called back up.