How Athletics Can Build Momentum After All-Star Break

A major part of the Athletics' collapse has been poor pitching decisions. Guys like Mason Barnett and Justin Sterner have seriously derailed games in which the Athletics could have won. Moving forward, we need to see better pitching on the mound, which is possible.

Luis Medina, Mark Leiter Jr., and Elvis Alvarado have all had incredible months of July. To make things even better for the Athletics, they would call up Yunior Tur, who, in his last 4.0 innings in Triple-A, would only allow two hits and no runs. If Tur can bring that to the Athletics, we could see more wins on their way.

'Stars' Need To Shine

A major driver of the Athletics' recent collapse has been the lack of offense, a statement that would have been insane to make just a month ago. Shea Langeliers has struggled for a while, and if he can heat up, the Athletics should be in a great position to turn things around.

Nick Kurtz was on pace for an MVP-caliber season, but he has recently stumbled, recording only four hits in his last 26 at-bats. With him hopefully returning from the IL within the next week, there is reason to believe he won't be great for a few games. But once he heats up, opposing teams are in trouble.

Kuroda-Grauer and Wilson Need To Remain Consistent

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and Jacob Wilson have been the only real constants during the Athletics' losing streak. With that said, they cannot slow down now. While it might take a minute for the others to catch up, they could be the reason the Athletics can steal a few games early on.

If the duo can produce at least a run per game in the next series vs. the Nationals, this should be enough for the Athletics to begin building some momentum before Zack Gelof and Nick Kurtz return from the IL. Right now, both players are the Athletics' last stand in a total season collapse.