If the next month unfolds as the A’s hope, Tuesday night might’ve offered a glimpse of scenarios to come.
Win their first-round playoff series at home and the A’s could be back at Dodger Stadium in two weeks for the AL Division Series. Advance further and they could see the Dodgers, owners of the majors’ best record, again in Arlington, Texas.
For now, though, a 7-2 loss simply gave the AL West champion A’s an up-close look at a National League force with a recent history of deep postseason runs.
The Dodgers hit four home runs, three off right-hander Frankie Montas, raising their majors-leading total to 104 while locking up the NL West title. Rookie right-hander Dustin May, firing 99 mph fastballs, and five relievers held the A’s to five hits, with Robbie Grossman’s solo homer the only one to drive in a run. In a rarity, Gold Glove first baseman Matt Olson committed his first error this year, leading to an unearned run.
“They just got (Montas) on the run early,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Pretty good team and when you make mistakes, they’ll make you pay. They’re pretty good about laying off chase (pitches) and making you throw it over the plate, and they made him pay, unfortunately.”
The A’s have yet to name a rotation for their first-round series, but right now it’s hard to see Montas as a top-three option. Over his past six starts, Montas has a 10.86 ERA in 24 innings with 10 home runs allowed. Max Muncy hit a two-run homer off Montas in the third inning Tuesday and Chris Taylor and AJ Pollock added solo shots in the fourth. Corey Seager had a first-inning RBI single off Montas and a solo homer off reliever T.J. McFarland.
“Tonight was tough,” Montas said. “Feel like I was throwing strikes and everything I was throwing, it was getting hit. Just one of the tough days.”
Montas had a 1.57 ERA with no home runs allowed in his first four starts before missing an outing with back stiffness. He said Tuesday night he is not dealing with lingering discomfort. “My body feels good, my arm feels good,” he said. “Just going through a tough time right now and just trying to get out of it.”
“He’s just not quite there with his mechanics yet,” Melvin said. “He started out so strong. He’s throwing the ball where he wants to. He’s getting ahead in the count and his split and his slider were really good. Right now, his split’s not as good as it was before and he’s centering some sliders. It’s not a matter of stuff with him right now. It’s just ... probably a little bit of confidence that he can’t get on a roll.”
Muncy’s homer followed a two-out bloop single by Seager that fell in front of Mark Canha, who started in center field with Ramón Laureano getting a day off. With the A’s clinching the division and a first-round home series Monday, Melvin said he wanted to rest Laureano. Canha was making his sixth start this season in center.
“They have a lot of guys that take big swings and maybe when you’re not out there on a consistent basis, it’s tough to get a read,” Melvin said. “But Mark’s done a nice job for us. ... I don’t know if that factored in or not.”
The A’s entered Tuesday as the No. 3 team in the AL standings, a half-game behind the No. 2 seed White Sox. Melvin, though, said he doesn’t view playing for a higher seed as a main priority given the depth of the AL field: “I think it’s just as much trying to create a winning atmosphere and making sure everybody has the proper rest.”
“You may see days off for several guys coming up,” Melvin said pregame. “We’ll basically play it day-to-day on what we feel like we need to do.”
In this most unusual season, the A’s clinched their first division title since 2013 while in their Los Angeles-area hotel Monday night and didn’t celebrate much as a group because of health protocols. Utilityman Chad Pinder said “you could hear some yells down the hallway” when the Astros lost at Seattle to seal the West. Melvin said the A’s held a meeting before Tuesday’s game to recognize the division win.
“You’ve got to celebrate these kinds of things in any way that you can,” starter Sean Manaea said, but “I feel like we’ve got a lot more work to do and a lot more celebrating.”
Manaea, who started the wild-card loss to Tampa Bay last year, said facing the Dodgers in the final week should be a gauge for the A’s and himself — he’ll pitch Wednesday. As of Tuesday, the A’s had faced two teams with records of .500 or better this season, the Astros and Padres.
“Next time we see them might be in the World Series,” Manaea said. “They’re not an AL team, so it’s just different. But they’re just still a very, very good ballclub.”
Matt Kawahara covers the A’s for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: mkawahara@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @matthewkawahara
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A’s lose as Dodgers hit four homers, clinch NL West - San Francisco Chronicle
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