The Oakland Futility Watch is tired of repeating itself, and after a 1-5 week for the Oakland Athletics, which could have been a 2-4 with a little more managerial savvy, the A’s record sits at 34-90. They are on pace now for 44-plus victories, which would barely surpass the 2003 Detroit Tigers—the worst MLB team of the last 60-plus seasons. Can the A’s do it? Oddly enough, Baseball-Reference.com projects the answer as “yes”!

The math suggests Oakland will finish with a record between 43-119 and 53-109 … splitting the difference gets the Athletics to a 48-114 record for a .296 winning percentage. That’s absolutely terrible, of course, but it’s not as bad as those 43-win Tigers or the 1962 New York Mets with their 40-120 record. Still, the games have to be played—and won. The A’s have just 4 wins in August, which is way below the pace they set before.

Oakland could have won the game on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles: it had the winning run on second base with one out in the eighth inning, but of course, the A’s are not a fundamentally sound ball club. That is not a gimme-run situation, either, but the Athletics have so little talent on the roster … two prized rookies struck out to end that opportunity, and the Oakland bullpen imploded in extra innings.

Let’s examine the remaining 38 games and see what we think, based on objective-as-possible analysis:

  • Kansas City (3): The A’s should win two of these three games, as they did that on the road against the Royals (40-86) earlier in the year. Total Projected Wins After Series: 36.
  • @ Chicago (4): The White Sox (49-75) aren’t stellar this season. And the A’s took two of three from Chicago at the Coliseum earlier this season. Oakland splits on the road. Total Projected Wins After Series: 38.
  • @ Seattle (3): The A’s are 0-7 against the Mariners (69-55) this season, and on the road, we don’t expect Oakland to break through at all—not with Seattle fighting for a playoff berth. Total Projected Wins After Series: 38.
  • Los Angeles (3): The Angels (61-64) are fading now, with just a 5-13 record in August … barely better than the Athletics. We won’t predict a series win here, even at home, but Oakland should be able to take at least one game here. Total Projected Wins After Series: 39.
  • Toronto (3): The Blue Jays are fighting for the postseason, too, just like Seattle. Toronto (69-56) took two of three at home from the A’s earlier in the year, so maybe the Athletics can steal a game in this series at the Coliseum. Total Projected Wins After Series: 40.
  • @ Texas (3): The A’s are 3-7 against the Rangers (72-52) somehow this year, so maybe they have Texas’ number. That was an attempt at humor, but it gives us confidence that Oakland can avoid a sweep here with a singular victory. Total Projected Wins After Series: 41.
  • @ Houston (3): With a 1-9 record against the Trashstros (70-55), we don’t expect the Athletics to win a game in this series as Houston tries to chase down Texas for the AL West Division crown. Total Projected Wins After Series: 41.
  • San Diego (3): The Padres (59-66) have underperformed this season, surprisingly, and that means the A’s are good for one win in this series at home in Oakland. Total Projected Wins After Series: 42.
  • Seattle (3): It’s the Mariners’ time chance to sweep the season series against the Athletics, and mathematically, we find that hard to predict. The A’s have to be able to win at least one game here, right? Total Projected Wins After Series: 43.
  • Detroit (4): Ironic that it will be the Tigers (57-67) visiting the Coliseum as Oakland eclipses the 2003 Tigers with a series split here, since it took two of three earlier this year in Motown. Total Projected Wins After Series: 45.
  • @ Minnesota (3): Despite leading the AL Central right now with a 65-60 record, the Twins aren’t a great team, obviously. We say the A’s get one win here as Minnesota fights for its division title. Total Projected Wins After Series: 46.
  • @ Los Angeles (3): The Angels will be on fumes here, and we assume Shohei Ohtani will make at least one last start this season, which should be his last in Anaheim. That means the Athletics have two chances to win at least one game in this matchup. Total Projected Wins After Series: 47.

So that’s our quasi-final prediction: the A’s will finish with a 47-115 record (.290) and avoid most disasters in this what we think will be their final season in Oakland. Let’s see if mediocre Manager Mark Kotsay can get the Athletics to this “promised land” … ahem. We will be at the Coliseum in person on Wednesday again this week to see how the A’s fare against Kansas City, and hopefully it goes well for the home team … right?!