Las Vegas A's

Jump wins first MLB start as A’s beat Cubs 2-1

A’s beat Cubs 2-1 Tuesday at Wrigley Field behind seven strong innings from Gage Jump, who earned his first major league win. Nick Kurtz tied it with a homer, then Zack Gelof’s RBI single put Oakland ahead before the bullpen closed it.

by
Mark Hebert
June 3, 2026

Athletics pitcher Gage Jump delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Jun 2, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Athletics starting pitcher Gage Jump (61) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Gage Jump gave the Athletics exactly what they needed Tuesday night.

Jump worked seven strong innings for his first major league win, and the A’s beat the Cubs 2-1 at Wrigley Field. As a result, the Athletics opened their six-game road trip with a much-needed response after losing seven of nine.

The tone setter

Chicago struck first in the opening inning after Nico Hoerner singled and stole second. Pete Crow-Armstrong followed with a single, and Alex Bregman’s groundout gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

However, Jump limited the damage right away. Shea Langeliers caught Crow-Armstrong trying to take third, and Jump struck out Seiya Suzuki to end the inning.

After that, Jump settled in. He allowed one run on three hits over seven innings, walked one and struck out five.

Where it turned

Nick Kurtz tied it in the third with one swing.

Kurtz drove a two-out homer to left-center off Jameson Taillon, his 11th of the season. It also gave him 42 RBIs.

Then the A’s took the lead in the fourth. Brent Rooker singled, Henry Bolte followed with a single, and Zack Gelof lined a two-out RBI single to center to score Rooker.

Numbers that mattered

The A’s finished with six hits, and Kurtz and Gelof drove in the runs.

Kurtz went 1-for-3 with a walk. Gelof had the go-ahead RBI, while Tyler Soderstrom, Rooker, Bolte and Jeff McNeil also had hits.

Taillon kept Chicago close, allowing two runs over 6 1/3 innings with six strikeouts. Still, the Cubs could not do much after the first two innings.

Bullpen slams it shut

Justin Sterner handled a clean eighth before Scott Barlow ran into trouble in the ninth.

Barlow walked Hoerner, then Crow-Armstrong singled to put two on with nobody out. But Barlow struck out Bregman, and Suzuki flied out.

Then Hogan Harris came in and got Ian Happ to fly out to center for his fifth save.

Up next

The series continues Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. Jeffrey Springs is scheduled to start for the A’s against Cubs right-hander Colin Rea.

Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.