5 Reasons the Oakland A's September Schedule Is a Huge Asset

The Oakland A's are on the verge of their first postseason berth in six years, but they're going to have to run the gauntlet before they get there.

The A's have already been put to the test this month, as they've played seven games against the Los Angeles Angels and three games each against the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners, who are 34-26 since the All-Star break. That the A's have handled themselves to the tune of a 10-5 record so far this month says a lot about how legit their success this season really is.

But things aren't about to get any easier. The A's are set to embark on a brutal 10-game road trip on Tuesday that will take them through Detroit, New York and Texas. They'll then return home to finish the season with six games against the Mariners and the Rangers.

All told, Oakland's remaining opponents have a .553 winning percentage. No contender in the American League faces a tougher challenge down the stretch than the A's.

Though they probably could, you're not about to hear the A's complain about their September schedule. In fact, they're just as likely to tell you how thankful they are for their schedule. It's more of an asset than it is a disadvantage.

Here are five reasons why.

Note: All stats come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Direct Chance to Make Up Ground on the Rangers

Many fans and experts have long since taken it for granted that the Texas Rangers will end up winning their third straight AL West title when all is said and done this season. 

I'll concede that the Rangers should win the AL West, but it's not like they currently have an insurmountable lead over the A's. The Rangers only lead them by three games.

It would be tough for the A's to close the gap if they didn't have any more games remaining against the Rangers this season, but that's not the case. Between now and the end of the year, the A's and Rangers will play seven times. If the A's dominate these seven games, they'll likely end up in first place in the AL West for good.

It won't be easy, mind you. Four of the seven games the A's have remaining against the Rangers will be played in Arlington, where the Rangers are 47-27 on the season. To boot, David has not dominated Goliath this season, as the A's and Rangers have each won six games of the 12 they've played this season.

Working in the A's favor is the fact that they have certainly been the better team of the two over the last couple of months. The A's are 41-19 since the All-Star break, while the Rangers are a mere 35-25 since the break.

There's really no overstating just how important winning the AL West is for both teams. It's looking more and more like the AL West winner will be the top seed in the American League playoffs, and that means home-field advantage in the ALDS and the ALCS.

And of course, winning the AL West and going straight to the division series is far more preferable to having to settle for a one-game wild-card playoff in which anything could happen.

The A's could ask for much easier opponents than the Rangers, but they couldn't ask for games in which they had more to gain. They stand to gain a lot from getting the best of the Rangers.

Practice Against Other Potential October Foes

The A's may have their sights set on the Rangers above all other teams, but they can't afford to lose focus against the teams they're set to play in the immediate future.

First up is the Detroit Tigers, who have a 2-2 record in four games against the A's this season. The Tigers have underachieved virtually all year, but they are not to be underestimated when they're playing within the friendly confines of Comerica Park. The only team in the AL with a better home record than the Tigers this season is the Rangers.

After the Tigers will come the New York Yankees, and I'm assuming the A's don't need to be told that they can't take the Yankees lightly. The Yankees have the third-best home record in the American League, and no team has hit more home runs in its home park than the Bronx Bombers.

To make matters even more challenging for the A's, both the Tigers and Yankees are fighting for their playoff lives these days. The A's are a very hungry team, but they're about to come up against two teams that are just as hungry as they are.

Win or lose, the A's should take as many notes on the Tigers and Yankees as they possibly can. There's a chance that they'll meet one or both of them if they make it to October baseball in the end. The Tigers could get in as the AL Central champ, and the Yankees could get in via the AL East title or the wild card.

If the A's do come up against the Tigers and/or the Yankees in October, having both clubs so fresh in their memory won't hurt. Nothing about the Tigers or Yankees would catch the A's off guard in October.

Chance to Get Feet Wet in Hostile Environments

Record-wise, the A's are the best road team in the American League. It helps that they just enjoyed a stretch in which they won 12 straight games on the road.

The catch is that their 12-game road winning streak was compiled in Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Seattle and Los Angeles. The Rays, Indians and Mariners all rank in the bottom third of Major League Baseball in attendance, and the Angels are actually drawing fewer fans this season than they did in 2011. As such, the A's didn't exactly take a tour through the American League's most hostile environments. 

The script is about to be flipped on them. In going through Detroit, New York and Texas, the A's will be going through three of the toughest environments baseball has to offer this season.

The Tigers rank seventh in attendance with an average draw of just under 38,000 people. The Yankees rank second with an average draw of just over 43,000. The Rangers rank just behind them with an average draw of right around 42,500.

Remember, we're talking about an A's team that is used to playing in front of an average crowd of 24,375. Per ESPN.com, no team in baseball has less drawing power than the A's.

Having to play their next 10 games in front of such huge and raucous crowds could prove to be a system shock that unravels the A's. It's either that, or they'll meet the challenge head-on and silence the few remaining critics they have left.

If the A's handle themselves well, they'll be a scary team heading into October because they will have been there and done that very recently. No stadium will be big, loud or mean enough to frighten them after what they just went through in the month of September.

Near-Constant Postseason Atmosphere

There's a train of thought out there that says that it's not the best baseball team that wins the World Series every year. It's usually the hottest that ends up winning it all. 

This train of thought is debatable, to be sure. But hey, the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals are proof that it's not a completely unfounded theory.

If it is true that the hottest team in baseball is the most dangerous team in October, then the American League should fear the A's. Over the last couple of months, no team has been hotter than them.

And there's a chance that they could gather even more momentum in the season's final weeks. Oakland's spirits are already sky-high. Just imagine what the team's mood will be like if it dominates its way through Detroit, New York and Texas before coming home to finish off the season with a six-game homestand.

With the Tigers, Yankees and Rangers also vying to play in October, emotions certainly aren't going to run low anytime soon for the A's. In fact, from now until the end of the season, the only series they'll play that won't resemble a postseason series is their three-gamer against the Mariners at the end of September.

But that series, of course, will be immediately followed by a three-gamer against the Rangers that will surely have O.co Coliseum packed to the gills each day. Assuming they can avoid disaster between now and then, the A's should ride that series straight into the playoffs regardless of how they get there.

If the A's end up capturing the AL West title at some point in their last series against the Rangers, they'll head into the postseason on a ridiculous high. They'd have more than enough momentum to last them until the Fall Classic.

Even if the Fall Classic isn't in Oakland's destiny, the A's will still be thankful for their tough September slate in the long run.

Great Experience for Oakland's Young Players No Matter What Happens

The A's are a young team. Their hitters average 27.7 years of age, and their pitchers average 28.0 years of age.

And if you're an A's fan, you'll know that these numbers are slightly misleading.

At present, Oakland's starting rotation features exactly one pitcher who's not a rookie. That would be Brett Anderson, and he's a mere 24 years old.

In the bullpen, the A's feature three primary relievers who are only 25 in Ryan Cook, Sean Doolittle and Jordan Norberto. 

On offense, the only regulars in the A's lineup over the age of 30 are Coco Crisp and Jonny Gomes. The rest of Oakland's position players are all in their 20s.

The fact that the A's are succeeding with so many young players this season is nothing if not a great story. And the best part about young players, as we all know, is that they tend to stick around in one place until they hit free agency.

As such, the young core of players that Billy Beane has assembled may not be broken up anytime soon. And if Oakland's core of young players is this good now, it should be even better in 2013 and beyond after having gained so much experience in 2012.

To this end, Oakland's brutal September schedule is just another part of a larger character-building process. If the A's overcome it, they'll go into the postseason with tons of momentum. If their September schedule ends up being their undoing, then the A's will put September in their back pocket and use it to their advantage in 2013.

If they can't finish off their magical run this season, they'll know what to do and what not to do if they find themselves in a similar situation a year from now.

Odds are, they will find themselves in a similar situation a year from now. Rest assured, we haven't seen the last of the A's no matter what happens.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter.