Sacramento A’s Jeff McNiel launches a two run seventh inning pinch hit home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on Mon Jul 20, 2026 (AP News photo)

McNeil’s Pinch Hit Turns the Desert Green in 5-2 A’s win

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 with contributions from the entire lineup. They got a rookie’s first home run, another blast from their steady shortstop, four hits from a newcomer, a veteran’s two-run pinch single and three scoreless innings from the bullpen. The result ended an eight-game road losing streak and a run of five straight defeats in series openers.

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer provided the first jolt in the second inning. The 23-year-old drove Mitch Bratt’s pitch 416 feet to left-center for his first major-league home run, giving the A’s a 1-0 lead. He later fought through a painful foul ball off his groin and finished the plate appearance with a single before leaving with a testicular contusion.

Kuroda-Grauer entered the game tied for the most hits by an Athletic through the first 15 games of a career. His two-hit performance gave him 25 through 16 games, matching Eddie Murphy’s franchise mark from 1912. It was another impressive chapter in a start that has made the rookie one of the brightest parts of a difficult summer.

Jacob Wilson doubled the advantage in the fifth, sending a solo home run to left-center for his sixth of the season. Wilson also handled every chance at shortstop, extending his errorless streak to 100 games. Between Kuroda-Grauer and Wilson, the left side of the Athletics’ infield supplied power, defense and a glimpse of what the club hopes to build around.

Jeffrey Springs protected the 2-0 lead through five innings. Arizona’s Nolan Arenado doubled in the fifth for the 2,000th hit of his career, but Springs stranded him. The Diamondbacks finally solved the left-hander in the sixth. Jorge Barrosa opened with a double, and Ketel Marte followed with a two-run homer that tied the game. Geraldo Perdomo added a bunt single, prompting Mark Kotsay to turn to Luis Medina.

The Athletics had already missed a major scoring chance in the top of the sixth. Tommy White and Alika Williams reached, Henry Bolte moved them over with a sacrifice bunt, but Perdomo threw White out at home on Wilson’s grounder. That wasted opportunity could have hung over the game. Instead, the A’s answered one inning later.

Shea Langeliers and Lawrence Butler began the seventh with singles against Kevin Ginkel. After Donovan Walton popped up a bunt and Jonah Heim struck out, White hit a ground ball back toward the mound. He was initially ruled out, which would have ended the inning, but a replay challenge overturned the call and loaded the bases.

That brought Jeff McNeil off the bench. He entered just 1-for-8 as a pinch hitter, while the Athletics’ pinch hitters had managed only one hit in their previous 23 at-bats. McNeil changed the math with one swing, lining a single to center that scored Langeliers and Butler for a 4-2 lead. He then stole second, and White scored on Ginkel’s wild pitch to make it 5-2.

White finished 4-for-5 in only his fourth major-league game, giving the Athletics a steady stream of traffic from the seventh spot. The A’s collected 15 hits, including 13 singles, and did enough with them to overcome 11 runners left on base.

Medina earned the victory after stopping Arizona’s sixth-inning threat and working through the seventh. José Suarez retired the side in order in the eighth, and Hogan Harris handled a two-runner ninth for his seventh save. Harris struck out Ildemaro Vargas and Arenado before an automatic-ball-strike challenge turned Ryan Waldschmidt’s apparent ball into the final strike.

Game 2 is set for 6:40 p.m Tuesday night. Pacific, with Jack Perkins (2-5, 6.87 ERA, 72 strikeouts) starting for the Athletics; Arizona had not officially named its pitcher as of publication, though Triple-A left-hander Kohl Drake (3-5, 6.92 ERA, 60 strikeouts) was reportedly in line for his major-league debut.

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.