Sacramento A’s pitcher Gage Jump (61) was dealing pitching seven innings not allowing a run and just one hit before being relieved against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento (AP News photo)

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics did not draw out Thursday night’s win. They took the first inning, did their damage, and secured a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

After Gage Jump worked a quick top of the first, the Green and Gold went right to work against Angels starter Ryan Johnson. Zack Gelof opened the bottom half with a single to left, extending a hitting streak that had already reached 21 games before the first pitch. Nick Kurtz followed with a double to left, putting two runners in scoring position and giving the heart of the order the perfect scenario to cash in.

Shea Langeliers wasted no time doing what “Bangaliers” has been known to do. The A’s catcher drove a three-run homer to center, putting the Athletics ahead 3-0 and giving the home side instant control. Langeliers entered the game as the leading vote-getter among American League catchers in the first All-Star ballot update, and his bat gave that campaign a pretty convincing new campaign ad. His power has been a major part of the A’s season success, and this swing just proved what his bat brings to the team.

The inning was not finished. Tyler Soderstrom followed with a solo homer to left-center, turning back-to-back big swings into a 4-0 lead. Jacob Wilson then singled to right, Jonah Heim added another base hit, and Carlos Cortes moved Wilson to third with a fly ball to center. Henry Bolte finished the scoring with a sacrifice fly, bringing in Wilson and making it 5-0. By the end of the inning, the Athletics had sent ten batters to the plate and built all the offense they would need.

From there, the game became Gage Jump’s showcase. The rookie left-hander, making just his fifth major league start, did not show in any way how new he is to the show. Jump allowed only one hit over seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and working around three walks.

His best escape came in the fourth, when Nick Madrigal drew a free pass and Oswald Peraza doubled with two outs. With two Angels in scoring position, Jump struck out Christian Moore to end the threat and keep the shutout intact.

That was the Angels’ best chance against him. Jump struck out Moore three times overall, got Logan O’Hoppe looking in the fifth, and fanned both Peraza and Moore in the seventh. When Vaughn Grissom drew a free pass to start the seventh, Jump kept the inning from turning messy. After two strikeouts, Langeliers ended it by picking Grissom off first, a catcher’s dagger that kept the Angels stuck at zero.

The Athletics’ defense backed Jump with steady work. Henry Bolte covered center field recording several outs in the gaps and adding a hit and an RBI at the plate. Wilson continued to look smooth at shortstop, part of a defense that entered the game with one of the best fielding marks in the majors.

The Angels’ bullpen settled things down after Johnson’s rough first inning. Brent Suter threw two scoreless frames, and Ryan Zeferjahn worked around two eighth-inning free passes. But by then, the damage had already been done. The Athletics’ early burst stood up because Jump turned the Angels’ lineup into a long evening of fly balls, strikeouts, and missed chances.

Mason Barnett took over in the eighth and worked through trouble after Denzer Guzman drew a free pass and pinch-hitter Wade Meckler singled. Barnett struck out O’Hoppe and escaped when Nick Madrigal flied to center. Hogan Harris handled the ninth, giving up singles to Grissom and Moore but striking out Jo Adell, Peraza, and Guzman to finish the shutout.

The A’s, already riding one of the best home run streaks in the majors, added two more in the first inning and then let Jump do the heavy lifting. For a team trying to stay in the American League West chase, this was a much needed win.

The sequel brings a tough mound matchup, as Jeffrey Springs (3-7, 5.13 ERA, 68 K) gets the ball for the Athletics against Angels right-hander José Soriano (8-4, 2.79 ERA, 92 K), with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. Pacific.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.

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