The Athletics finally stopped the slide Saturday afternoon, and Gage Jump gave them exactly the kind of start they needed.
Jump struck out 11 over six innings, while Jonah Heim delivered the go-ahead hit in a 7-3 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The victory snapped the A’s nine-game losing streak and improved them to 46-71.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first, the Athletics answered methodically. Then they broke through for good in the fifth before adding insurance late.
Jump settles in
Boston got to Jump quickly when Andruw Monasterio lined a two-run single in the first inning.
However, the rookie left-hander shut the Red Sox down from there.
Jump allowed six hits and two runs over six innings. He walked two, struck out 11 and threw 100 pitches, 69 for strikes.
After the first inning, Boston did not score again while Jump was on the mound. He stranded a runner in scoring position in the fourth, then worked around a leadoff double in the fifth.
In the sixth, Jump finished his outing by striking out Jarren Duran and Connor Wong back-to-back. As a result, he left with a 5-2 lead.
Jump improved to 5-7 and lowered his ERA to 4.46.
Heim delivers the swing
The Athletics began chipping away in the fourth.
Jacob Wilson doubled to open the inning. Then Brian Serven brought him home with a two-out RBI single, cutting Boston’s lead to 2-1.
Next came the decisive inning.
Alika Williams was hit by a pitch with one out in the fifth. Wilson followed with his second double of the game before Heim lined a two-run single to left.
That put the A’s ahead 3-2.
Meanwhile, Wilson finished 2-for-5 with two doubles and two runs. Heim went 1-for-5, but his lone hit drove in the two runs that changed the game.
Insurance finally arrives
The Athletics kept pressing in the sixth.
Lawrence Butler walked, stole second and then took third as Jeff McNeil stole second. Donovan Walton followed with a two-run ground-rule double to right-center, stretching the lead to 5-2.
Then Tyler Soderstrom added another run with a solo homer in the seventh. It was his 19th of the season and his second homer in as many games.
Henry Bolte added the final insurance run with a 439-foot solo homer to center in the ninth.
The A’s finished with eight hits and went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Bullpen holds on
Luis Medina worked a perfect seventh before Seth Johnson opened the eighth.
Johnson allowed a double and a walk with two outs, so Hogan Harris entered and struck out Duran to escape the inning.
Boston pushed across one run in the ninth, but Harris finished the game and earned his 10th save.
In the end, the Athletics finally had enough pitching and enough timely offense to stop the losing streak.
Up next
The A’s now have a chance to win the series Sunday at Fenway Park.
J.T. Ginn starts for the Athletics. He enters at 8-6 with a 3.51 ERA and 105 strikeouts.
Boston had not announced a probable starter. First pitch is scheduled for 10:35 a.m. PDT.
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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.
