Athletics' Skid Continues Back Home: Key Takeaways From Ugly Loss

The Athletics were simply unable to get the job done back home.

This team cannot get off the ground, and as a result, many already believe the season is over. While there are still 50+ games left, the odds of the Athletics making real noise are considerably low. With injuries still stacking up and the team simply unable to create momentum, we could be in for a long second half of the season.

Jacob Wilson Is Struggling

Jacob Wilson would find his stride early during the first two series post-All-Star break, but as quickly as he got hot, he would cool off. Wilson has now gone 0-for-16 in his last four games, with his last hit coming on July 22 in a loss to the Diamondbacks. Knowing how good Wilson is, this drop-off has been concerning.

Keep in mind as well that Wilson was on a 10-game hitting streak before this slump. Six of those games were also multi-hit outings. With such a sudden decrease in production, the Athletics' offense has grown stagnant. The only issue now is that there aren't many players who can replace that production, meaning Wilson needs to figure it out.

Jack Perkins' Excellence Needs To Last

Since being moved to the starter role, Jack Perkins and Jeffrey Springs have been in an all-out war to decide who the worst starter is. But since the All-Star break, both pitchers have been very inconsistent; given that they were consistently bad, this isn't the worst thing in the world.

In the loss, Perkins would have one of his best starts since entering the rotation. He would pitch 5.2 innings while allowing only a single hit and walking three batters. However, in the sixth inning, he would allow a double, which would end his no-hit bid, and walk Wilson Contreras to put runners on first and second.

Enter Jose Suarez, who would walk a batter to then allow a grand slam, which accounted for all of the Red Sox's runs and two of Perkins' earned runs. The bottom line is that Perkins had himself an amazing game, which could point to a brighter future for him and the team as a whole. But until he can do it consistently, the Athletics need to be careful.

Tyler Soderstrom Is Amazing

When you think of the Athletics' stars, you might think of Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, and Jacob Wilson. But if this season has taught us anything, it would be to never sleep on Tyler Soderstrom. In the loss, Soderstrom would hit a solo home run, which was the Athletics' only run of the night.

As of July 28, Soderstrom is on a 10-game hitting streak, and in the last 15 games, Soderstrom is batting .306 with a very impressive .974 OPS. During this stretch, Soderstrom has hit four home runs while driving in nine runs. Soderstrom has played elite baseball this season and will need to be a major source of offense for the Athletics with Langeliers out for the season.

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