The Athletics were .500 and a half game out of first place in the AL West just about three weeks ago after they staged a comeback, 10-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels on June 19. Now at the All-Star break, the As are staring at a 41-55 record. Theyre fourth in the AL West and eight games back of the division-leading Texas Rangers.Theyre 3-17 in their past 20 games, losers of 13 of their last 14 and currently mired in a nine-game skid. Looking to snap out of their midsummer malaise, the As made a staff change Monday, firing longtime pitching coach Scott Emerson.The Athletics rank second to last in the majors with a 5.21 ERA this season. Only the Colorado Rockies (5.44) are worse in that fateful category. Of the As last 17 losses, 11 of them have featured their opponents scoring six or more runs.The As have dismissed pitching coach Scott Emerson. Bullpen coach Dan Hubbs will serve as interim pitching coach for the remainder of the 2026 season. A's Communications (@AthleticsPR) July 13, 2026Its important to note, however, that the Athletics have had a hitter-friendly home ballpark since moving into a Triple-A stadium last year, Sacramentos Sutter Health Park. Thats certainly factored into the As settling near the bottom of MLBs ERA table, next to the Rockies, who of course carry the double-edged sword of playing at the high-altitude and power-charged Coors Field in Denver.But Emersons staffs have struggled for a while. The Athletics were 27th in ERA (4.70) in 2025, 25th (4.37) in 2024, 29th (5.48) in 2023 and 24th (4.52) in 2022. He replaced As staple Curt Young as the teams pitching coach in 2017. During Emersons first four full seasons in the role, he facilitated staffs that were in the top half of MLB in ERA, notably when the As reached the postseason in 2018, 2019 and 2020.Emerson, 54, took over for Young midseason in 2017. Then a bullpen coach, he got the bump and took a larger role within an organization he first joined in the early 2000s as a minor-league pitching coach. Similarly, Dan Hubbs this years Athletics bullpen coach will fill the vacancy left by Emerson, shouldering the pitching coach responsibilities on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2026 campaign.The As have been riddled by injury of late. Thats certainly affected their offense. That said, theyre also hoping for an improvement on the other side of the ball, with Hubbs now in charge of a pitching staff thats in desperate need of a second-half spark.