3 Crucial Takeaways From Athletics' Brutal Shutout Loss

Gage Jump would pitch a great game vs. the White Sox, but, as mentioned earlier, the Athletics' offense would fall flat. Jump would pitch 5.2 innings, while allowing just five hits and one run. Jump would also strike out seven, while walking two batters. It is nice to see Jump recover after an ugly home stint.

Which brings us to the point of this segment. When Jump is on the mound, he might be the best pitcher in MLB. In four road starts this season, Jump is posting a 0.75 ERA and 0.88 WHIP, absolutely elite. If the Athletics had given him a gram of run support, this game would have gone the Athletics' way.

Its Time to Talk About Henry Bolte

Henry Bolte looked excellent, but, like the Athletics, he has hit a wall in the last few outings. In his last six games, Bolte is batting .053 (1-for-19), with a .143 OBP. His sole hit during this stretch was a home run vs. the Tigers on July 7.

Bolte's speed makes him a premier player for the Athletics, but his inability to use it has really hurt this team's offense. Moving forward, we need to see Bolte get on base, even if it does not mean he gets a hit. With him on the basepaths, the Athletics are more than guaranteed to drive in a run.

More Luis Medina After All-Star Break

The Athletics' bullpen has been a revolving door in terms of who the best pitcher is. However Luis Medina has remained consistent, and now it is starting to pay off. In Medina's last seven outings, he has pitched 9.0 innings while allowing only five hits and seven walks. And while the walk number is concerning, his 0 ERA during that stretch has been impressive.

After the All-Star break, Medina needs more pitching opportunities and innings. Recently, Medina has only received about a single inning's worth of pitching, aside from his 3.0-inning game vs. the Pirates. Given how bad the Athletics ' pitching staff has been, Medina needs to remain elite to stem the bleeding in this losing streak.