The Nationals May Have Ended the Athletics Season in July

The Athletics would lose their 10th game in a row in a rather embarrassing fashion.

May 10, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks back the dugout against the Baltimore Orioles during the seventh inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Athletics would get completely dismantled by the Nations losing 23-4.

Things were looking up for the Athletics two months ago, but recently this notion has been completely buried. With the 19-run loss to the Nationals, the Athletics now have a -125 run differential, which is the worst in the MLB by 21 runs. Things are looking terrible.

Clearly, an Unserious Team

May 22, 2018; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics fan react against the Seattle Mariners during the tenth inning at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Normally, teams that come out of the All-Star break rid themselves of most of the problems that occurred in the first half. With the Athletics calling up a multitude of players from the minors and shedding some of the weak links, things were actually starting to look up. But then, Friday would happen.

Losing by 19 runs at home is inexcusable. And as mentioned earlier, the run differential numbers prove that this team's ceiling was already reached back in May. As for the rest of the week, we will see the Athletics go on winning streaks. But these last 10 games, and this one, prove that this team cannot be taken seriously for now.

Pitching Struggles Have Peaked

Jul 11, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Athletics pitcher Gage Jump (61) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After every game, there is always something negative to say about the Athletics' pitching. In this game, we would see Gage Jump struggle, as he would allow four hits and three runs in just 3.2 innings.

The bullpen would completely collapse, allowing 14 more runs, 19 if you add Carlos Cortes' pitching outing. There is seemingly no hope for the Athletics pitching-wise this season. The A's would call up both Yunior Tur and Brady Basso, who would pitch in this game.

Jun 23, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Athletics manager Mark Kotsay (7) walks back o the dugout after a pitching change during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tur would pitch 2.0 innings and allow seven hits and six runs. Basso would pitch one inning, where he would go hitless. While Basso could remain steady, it is clear that the Athletics are in trouble if these pitchers are the solution to the struggles.

Keep in mind as well that the Athletics recently fired pitching coach Scott Emerson, who coached the team to a 5.21 ERA, which was 29th in the league. It will take time for the Athletics' pitching to improve, but if it does not, you can only ask if Emerson was truly the problem. Or if he was a scapegoat for poor roster building.

Jun 16, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics manager Mark Kotsay (7) walks back to the dugout during the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If this is what the Athletics' pitching looks like without him, maybe we should bring him back. The bottom line is that the Athletics could still go on a run to make the playoffs.

But with the worst-run differential in the league by far, and abysmal pitching that would require years of fixing. It is unlikely that we see this team make much noise for the rest of the season.