This stretch was rough. The Athletics went 0 and 5, dropping a two game set to the Detroit Tigers and then getting swept in three games by the Chicago White Sox. The scores tell the story: they lost 1-6 and 1-4 to the Tigers, then 1-14, 0-1, and 1-9 to the White Sox. That's 4 runs scored across five games against 34 allowed. The losing streak now sits at nine games, and they're 1-9 over their last ten.
The standings moved against them too. The Athletics were 5.5 games back in the American League West on July 7 and now sit 8 back, still in fourth place. The Texas Rangers took over the division lead this stretch, going 3-2 and passing the Seattle Mariners, who slipped after going 1-4. The Houston Astros also went just 1-3. So the top of the division is shuffling, but the Athletics themselves are only falling further behind, now 41-55 on the season with a run differential that's dropped to minus 106, down 30 just from this stretch.
There's no good individual news to report. No standout performances, no hot bats, no roster moves worth mentioning. It's been quiet on that front because the losing has been total.
The schedule gave everyone a breather after the Sunday, July 12 loss to the White Sox, with the league pausing for the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14. The Athletics haven't played since that Sunday and won't play again until Friday, July 17.
When they do return, it's a home series at Sutter Health Park against the Washington Nationals, three games starting Friday, July 17 at 6:40 PM PDT. A fresh opponent and a home crowd won't fix the run differential, but it's a clean slate after a hard stretch.