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The A’s 6-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday kicked off one of the most arduous stretches the A’s will experience this season.

Piled on top of a few gut-punch injuries — Matt Chapman’s season-ending surgery and Chad Pinder’s hamstring strain that followed — the A’s will play four games in three cities in three different time zones. That starts with a doubleheader against Seattle on Monday, then to Colorado for a two-game series that starts Tuesday. In other words, including Sunday’s game, the A’s will play four games in less than 72 hours.

Every single one of those games are crucial as the postseason creeps on the horizon. The A’s magic number to win the division remains at eight.

Here are some takeaways from Sunday’s game.

Frankie Montas pays for one mistake

The A’s need Frankie Montas to fall into a groove. He has it in him — Oakland saw it in 2019 when Montas was mowing through any and all teams with his high-90s fastball and devastating splitter.

With a back injury and the quirks of a short season battling against him, Montas has flipped back and forth between dominant streaks and low points so far this year.

Montas’ start Sunday showed promise that Montas is finding himself. He gave up four runs, including two home runs, in the A’s loss. But, his stuff — particularly his slider and, later, his splitter — looked up to his usual standard. Derek Dietrich’s home run in the second inning came on a decent sinker. And Montas struck out five straight batters between the fourth and fifth innings.

“A little bit of a rough start with a couple of hits early on, but then he settled in really well,” manager Bob Melvin said. “After he settled in we saw the type of work that we saw earlier in the year, and I think he’s making strides in his last couple outings.”

A first pitch sinker to Rougned Odor after giving up back-to-back singles in the sixth inning did him in. Odor’s three-run home run put the game out of reach. Montas struck out seven batters and one walk.

Lance Lynn stalls offense

Lance Lynn, the Rangers’ right-hander, held the A’s to one run while striking out 10.

“Better cutter today, really more of a slider that he was throwing down and into some of the lefties that we haven’t seen a ton before,” Melvin said.

Against reliever Jonathan Hernandez, Tommy La Stella hit his first home run as an Athletic, his fifth of the season. Against Rafael Montero, Mark Canha tripled with two outs in the ninth inning and Ramón Laureano walked, allowing Jonah Heim to knock a dribbler far enough down the third base line to score Canha for the A’s third and final run.

Double play woes

The A’s entered Sunday’s game with a league-worst 26 double plays turned. They turned a 4-6-3 double play in the third, upping their count by one.

Chad Pinder could miss rest of regular season, at least. Jake Lamb can help.

The A’s depth at third base is draining fast with news that Pinder — who was expected to platoon at third base with Vimael Machín with Chapman out for the remainder of the season — hit the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring. Pinder will have an MRI in Seattle to determine the strain’s severity.

“I’m not confident in anything right now,” manager Bob Melvin said before Sunday’s game. “It’s a moderate strain, not a mild one. Usually those things are a couple weeks. If indeed we are in the postseason, hopefully he can come back by then.”

Pinder tweaked his hamstring making a play on a short hopper in the first of Saturday’s doubleheader. Given Pinder’s strong glove, that can play all over the diamond, and powerful swing, the A’s can only hope that he can return to the roster for a postseason.

The 28-year-old utility player came up in the minor leagues with Chapman, Matt Olson and most of this current A’s core. He demonstrated early an ability to keep his teammates on the same page, communicating, to a point where his powwows with teammates were deemed “Pindergarten.”

Chapman’s leadership will be sorely missed, and having Pinder around, at least, in some capacity would help fill the void. It’s unclear with new health and safety protocols if Pinder can stay along with the team while on the injured list, but the team is hoping he can.

“He’s kind of a subtle leader,” Melvin said. “Most people know about Chapman. But, Pinder is a guy that has been a leader with that group of guys for years all the way through the minor leagues.”

This news organization reported that the A’s are close to signing third baseman Jake Lamb when he becomes a free agent Monday morning. The Arizona Diamondbacks designated the 29-year-old for assignment Thursday. His rough numbers at the plate this season for the Diamondbacks are of little concern for the mere depth he could provide at third base position.