Given the three days off after the American League Wild Card Series, the A’s had the luxury of taking an all-hands-on-deck approach with their pitching in Thursday’s series-clinching Game 3 win over the White Sox.

The A’s have relied heavily on their bullpen all year, and they took advantage of the situation by using eight pitchers in Game 3 -- an A’s postseason record after never having used more than six in a game. Among those pitchers used on Thursday was starter Frankie Montas, who provided two solid middle innings of relief to keep the A’s afloat. But now that the A’s find themselves in a best-of-five AL Division Series against the Astros starting Monday at Dodger Stadium, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to replicate that Game 3 strategy with their pitching.

There is no doubt the A’s will still lean on their bullpen, as they should, given its Major League-best 2.72 ERA in the regular season. As closer Liam Hendriks showed by finishing off Game 3 of the Wild Card Series one day after throwing 49 pitches in Game 2 -- totaling 68 pitches over two days -- A’s manager Bob Melvin won’t be afraid to push relievers to their limits if they are feeling well enough to do so.

But the A’s will have to be smart about the workload of other key relievers like Jake Diekman, Joakim Soria and J.B. Wendelken. What could help make that an easier task is obvious -- getting more from their starters. Jesús Luzardo lasted only 3 1/3 innings in Game 1, while Mike Fiers was on a short leash in Game 3 and pulled after just 1 2/3 innings. In a best-of-five ALDS with no days off between games, it becomes imperative that starters go deeper into their outings.

Luckily for the A’s, they have six starting pitchers at their disposal. Chris Bassitt -- who tossed seven-plus innings of one-run ball in the Wild Card Series -- leads the way as the ALDS Game 1 starter. Sean Manaea will get the ball in Game 2, with Montas, Luzardo, and Fiers likely to follow in some order. Left-hander Mike Minor is available out of the bullpen should the A’s need some length, though if he’s in the game early, it’s probably not a good thing for Oakland as that likely means one of its starters has faltered.

A’s pitching has fared well against the Astros this year. Over the regular season, the A’s won seven of eight games against Houston at the Coliseum as part of a 7-3 record in head-to-head matchups. Astros hitters slashed .205/.259/.326 with seven homers in 10 games and averaged only 2.5 runs per game against the A’s, including 1.9 on the road.

“The more times you face certain hitters, your command really shows up,” A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson said. “When you’re facing hitters and they constantly get at-bats against you, they know what your stuff looks like. That’s why I believe the power of the fastball and the ability to move it around is always a good ingredient for successful pitching.

“I think our guys, we throw the ball over the plate and move it around really good. I’m fairly confident. The Astros have familiarity with us and we have it with them.”

Overall, given the many starting options on the roster -- plus Yusmeiro Petit, whose rubber right arm allows him to go multiple innings on consecutive days if the situation calls for it -- the A’s are in a good spot with their pitching staff should they have to play five games in five days.