The Athletics faced the Minnesota Twins seeking to even the series ahead of Wednesday’s finale. That is exactly what the A’s did, prevailing 4-2 thanks to a quality start from Gage Jump, contributions from outfielders Carlos Cortes and Lawrence Butler and a bullpen that held a late lead— something A’s relievers have struggled to do lately.
A’s Strike First
With two outs in the second inning, A’s shortstop Alika Williams doubled for his team’s first hit against Twins starter Taj Bradley. Left fielder Carlos Cortes
did not let that scoring opportunity go to waste. He hit his eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot onto the berm in right field, putting the Athletics ahead 2-0.
Jump Strong Early
Athletics starter Gage Jump turned in a scoreless first three innings, preventing the Twins from scoring early for a second straight game. The top of the third was especially critical, as his team had just taken the lead in the previous inning.
Jump Unfazed by A’s Little League Defense
The Athletics’ defense betrayed them with two outs in the fourth. Twins first baseman Royce Lewis’ infield pop-up was ruled a single, yet it arguably should have been ruled an error after none of the A’s infielders could make the catch. Lewis then stole second on a pickoff throw that A’s first baseman Tommy White failed to catch. Jump fortunately escaped that jam by striking out the next batter he faced.
Jump continued rolling, racking up nine strikeouts over six scoreless innings while keeping his team’s two-run lead intact. Meanwhile, Bradley rebounded from Cortes’ home run to throw three straight scoreless innings, preventing the hosts from extending their lead in this pitching duel between two high-octane arms. In the bottom of the fifth, Bradley turned in the first immaculate inning in Twins history.
A’s Add On
With two outs in the sixth inning, A’s right fielder Lawrence Butler recorded his second single of the night. Butler then raced around to narrowly slide in safely on White’s RBI double off the center field wall. A’s second baseman Donovan Walton made it three consecutive two-out hits as his RBI single brought White home to put the Green and Gold up 4-0.
Twins On the Board
Jump’s shutout bid ended in the seventh inning when Kaelen Culpepper’s RBI double made it a 4-1 game. That was the last batter Jump faced. The A’s rookie southpaw allowed two runs on three hits over 6 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out nine.
Bullpen Time: Less Drama Tonight!
Left-hander Hogan Harris replaced Jump. After Brooks Lee doubled on a bloop hit that fell out of Walton’s glove, Victor Caratini’s RBI groundout cut the A’s lead to two runs. Gelof made a nice play on that grounder, preventing a second run from scoring. That loomed large, as Harris wiggled out of the jam, stranding two runners.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Athletics center fielder Henry Bolte hit his first major league triple. That hit not only knocked Bradley out of the game but also forced Twins center fielder Byron Buxton to leave with an injury. The A’s could not come through with a two-out RBI hit for a second consecutive inning, as Minnesota reliever AJ Minter struck out Jeff McNeil to end the seventh.
After A’s right-hander Luis Medina retired the side in the eighth, Elvis Alvarado entered for the save opportunity in the top of the ninth. Alvarado said good night to the Twins, securing his fourth save, Jump’s sixth win and ,most importantly, giving the A’s a chance to win the series tomorrow evening.
The Athletics will send right-hander J.T. Ginn to the mound for the rubber match, while Minnesota will counter with left-hander Connor Prielipp.
