Arizona Diamondbacks Nolan Arenado (28) swings for a double for his 2000th career hit in the bottom of the fifth inning against the Sacramento A’s catcher Jonah Heim (left) at Chase Field in Phoenix on Wed Jul 22, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mauricio Segura

For four innings both teams traded zeros, before the Arizona Diamondbacks spun the game completely out of control. A 2-2 tie became a seven-run deficit in the fifth, and the Diamondbacks kept piling on in a 15-5 rout of the Sacramento A’s that ended the series with a thud.

Sacramento had an immediate chance against Merrill Kelly. Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers collected consecutive singles with one out in the first, but Carlos Cortes grounded into an inning-ending double play. The A’s finally broke through in the third when Jonah Heim doubled to center and Jacob Wilson followed with a single that moved him to third. Soderstrom’s groundout brought Heim home for a 1-0 lead, and Wilson stole third before Kelly escaped by striking out Langeliers.

Gage Jump handled the early advantage well. Arizona put runners aboard in each of the first two innings, but the rookie left-hander received help from double plays behind him. Wilson and second baseman Donovan Walton turned one in the first, while Jump started another in the second. He then retired the Diamondbacks in order in the third.

Jump entered the game with a 0.75 ERA in four road starts, but he had also posted a 7.41 ERA over his previous four outings after opening his career with six strong starts. His 56 strikeouts through his first ten major-league games matched Sonny Gray for the most by an Athletics pitcher over that span during the previous 27 years.

Arizona changed the direction of the game with two swings in the fourth. Corbin Carroll tied it with a solo homer to left-center, and Nolan Arenado followed with another solo shot to left. Jump limited the damage there, striking out Tim Tawa and Ryan Waldschmidt with two runners aboard.

Jeff McNeil brought the A’s even in the fifth by sending a solo homer to right. McNeil entered the game having struck out only once in his previous 54 plate appearances, and his fourth home run of the season briefly restored order.

That order disappeared in the bottom half.

Ketel Marte doubled and scored on a wild pitch. Gabriel Moreno then homered to center, giving Arizona a 4-2 advantage. Arenado drew a walk and scored on Ildemaro Vargas’ double before Yunior Tur replaced Jump. James McCann greeted Tur with a two-run homer, Tawa singled and Waldschmidt launched the first home run of his major-league career.

Arizona sent 11 batters to the plate, scored seven runs and turned a tie game into a 9-2 beating within minutes. Jump was charged with six earned runs on eight hits, four walks and three home runs over 4 2/3 innings. His record dropped to 3-6.

The Diamondbacks added five more in the sixth. Carroll tripled and scored on Tur’s wild pitch before Moreno, Arenado and Vargas drew three consecutive walks. McCann singled home Moreno, and Hayden Juenger entered with the bases still loaded. Tawa greeted him with a two-run double, and Waldschmidt’s sacrifice fly extended the lead to 14-2.

McCann finished with three hits, a home run and four RBIs. Waldschmidt drove in three, while Carroll homered, tripled and scored three times. Arizona collected 17 hits, including five home runs, and scored 12 times during the fifth and sixth innings.

The Athletics did not quit producing at-bats. McNeil singled and scored on Heim’s seventh-inning single. Donovan Walton doubled to begin the ninth and scored on Lawrence Butler’s RBI single. Alika Williams added a sacrifice fly that brought home Tommy White.

McNeil, Heim and Langeliers each had two hits as the A’s finished with 10. Wilson’s third-inning single extended his hitting streak to 10 games, and he completed another errorless appearance at shortstop. He entered the game with a 101-game errorless streak, tied for the second-longest by a shortstop in major-league history.

Cortes recorded the final out of the eighth from the mound, marking his sixth pitching appearance of the season. He had already tied Charlie Jamieson’s 1918 franchise record for pitching appearances by a position player with his fifth outing.

Following Thursday’s off day, the Athletics head to Minnesota, where Jacob Lopez (4-4, 6.64 ERA, 49 strikeouts) will oppose Zebby Matthews (4-7, 5.40 ERA, 58 strikeouts) Friday at 5:10 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.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.