Things just keep getting worse for the Oakland Athletics.

The Athletics were by far the most dominant team in all of baseball for the first half of the 2014 MLB regular season, the A's ranking in the Top Five in both runs scored and pitching earned runs against, showing they had the offense and the defense to compete in the postseason. But their recent mediocre play on the field may keep them from playing in the postseason.

The Athletics currently sit at 81-63, second in the AL West. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim lead that division at 89-55, and are currently riding a six-game win streak. The Angles and Athletics are 8-8 against one another this season, and will play each other three more times.

Josh Donaldson leads Oakland with 26 home runs, 139 hits and 93 runs batted in. But it appears as if trading away Yoenis Cespedes has backfired. Since trading away the young Cuban-born outfielder to the Boston Red Sox, the Athletics offense has struggled to score runs. Cespedes is having a terrific season with 142 hits, 21 home runs and 34 doubles.

The Athletics traded away Cespedes on July 31, and the downward spiral began. In the month of August, the Athletics posted an abysmal 12-17 record. Since trading away Cespedes, the Athletics are 14-22, which pretty much sums it all up. Athletics general manager Billy Beane has many made good decisions in the past, but this one isn't sitting over very well with A's fans.

With less than one month left to play, hopes of winning the division have virtually disappeared. The Athletics only hope of playing in October will be as a wild card team.

The Athletics currently own the top wild card spot in the American League, but that, too, is slipping away. The Detroit Tigers are just one game back at 80-65, and have won their last three games in a row. The Seattle Mariners have been one of the hottest teams in the league lately. The Mariners are just two wins behind the Athletics, and have won seven of their last 10 games.

The Mariners and Athletics will play each other three more critical times this season, all in Seattle.

The Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians will most likely not be able to catch up to the Athletics. All three of these teams sit under 76 victories, and would need a miracle to make the postseason.

The Athletics are in a very tough spot. The trade deadline has come and gone, and there aren't any notable free agents on the open market. It will be up to manager Bob Melvin to coach this team the correct way and the players to execute on the field. The Athletics are currently in a four-game series with the Chicago White Sox. After that, they will face the Mariners in a three-game road series in Seattle.

Only time will tell if the Athletics can recover and hold on to the No. 1 wild card spot in the AL.

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