The Athletics finally got the pitching performance they had been waiting for.
The problem was the offense never arrived. Gage Jump gave the A’s 5 2/3 strong innings Saturday, but the bats stranded chance after chance in a 1-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field.
The loss dropped the Athletics to 41-54, stretched their losing streak to eight games and continued a slide that has them 4-16 over their last 20.
Jump does his part
Jump gave the A’s exactly the kind of start they needed.
The rookie left-hander allowed one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. He walked two, struck out seven and gave the A’s a chance after Friday’s 14-1 blowout.
Jump also helped himself with the glove. In the fifth, he handled a hard comebacker from Junior Perez and turned it into an out at first.
Then, in the sixth, Jump made another sharp play. Miguel Vargas hit a ball back up the middle, and Jump went behind his back to start the out at first.
Still, one two-out swing decided his night.
One run is enough
The White Sox broke through in the sixth.
Jump retired Munetaka Murakami and Vargas to open the inning, but Colson Montgomery drew a two-out walk. Chase Meidroth followed with a double to left, scoring Montgomery and giving Chicago a 1-0 lead.
That was all the White Sox needed.
Luis Medina entered and stranded the inherited runner. He then worked a clean seventh before Hogan Harris struck out two in a perfect eighth.
Together, Jump, Medina and Harris held Chicago to one run on five hits and struck out 11.
Bats waste chances
The A’s had enough scoring chances to change the game. They just never delivered the hit.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer singled in the second, and Lawrence Butler walked to put two on. But Carlos Cortes flied out, and Jeff McNeil followed with another flyout.
In the sixth, Jacob Wilson singled and Tyler Soderstrom walked with one out. However, Shea Langeliers struck out, and Jonah Heim followed with another strikeout to end the threat.
Then Kuroda-Grauer doubled to open the seventh. Butler walked, but Colby Thomas popped out, Alika Williams lined out and Henry Bolte struck out.
Biggest miss
The best chance came in the eighth.
Wilson opened the inning with his first triple of the season, putting the tying run at third with nobody out. Soderstrom grounded out against Sean Newcomb before Grant Taylor entered for Chicago.
Langeliers struck out for the third time. Heim grounded out to shortstop, and the A’s came away empty again.
The Athletics finished 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base.
Draft day backdrop
The loss came on a busy day for the organization.
Nick Kurtz went on the 10-day injured list, taking one of the A’s All-Stars out of the lineup as the offense keeps searching for answers. Meanwhile, the club opened the 2026 MLB Draft by adding Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress with the No. 8 pick.
Burress was viewed as one of the top college bats in the class. He hit .357 with 60 homers and a 1.204 OPS over three seasons at Georgia Tech, and the A’s believe he can stay in center field.
After that, the A’s leaned into pitching. They took USC left-hander Mason Edwards in the second round after he struck out 267 hitters over 166 college innings.
Then they added Arkansas right-hander Gabe Gaeckle, whose fastball sat in the mid-90s and touched 98. In the third round, they took North Carolina State right-hander Jacob Dudan, who touched 99 before Tommy John surgery ended his college season.
Also, the A’s selected UCLA infielder Roman Martin in the fourth round. The club plans to send him out as a shortstop after he played third base at UCLA.
Numbers that mattered
The White Sox finished with one run on five hits. The Athletics had four hits and played errorless defense.
Wilson went 2-for-4 with a triple, while Kuroda-Grauer went 2-for-4 with his fourth double. Since his call-up, Kuroda-Grauer is batting .439.
Butler walked three times, but the A’s had no extra push behind him.
Erick Fedde earned the win after four scoreless innings in relief. Taylor handled the final 1 2/3 innings for his fourth save.
In the end, the A’s got the pitching response they needed. However, with the offense silent again, the slide kept rolling.
Up next
The Athletics close the series against the White Sox on Sunday at Rate Field. First pitch is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. PDT.
J.T. Ginn gets the ball for the A’s. The right-hander enters at 7-5 with a 3.10 ERA and 86 strikeouts.
Across from him, Chicago turns to left-hander Noah Schultz, who enters at 2-6 with a 6.00 ERA and 43 strikeouts.
After that, the A’s get four days off for the All-Star break.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, 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.
