Gage Jump #61 of the Athletics pitches against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Sutter Health Park on August 25, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory photo credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento A’s and Minnesota Twins played game two of their three-game series on Tuesday night at Sutter Health Park. The A’s, who have struggled mightily against the AL Central division this year (5-21 entering Tuesday’s action), tried to get back on track against a team vying for a wild-card spot.
The A’s evened the series with the Twins as they defeated them 4-2. With the win, the A’s improved to 52-81 as the Twins fell to 64-68. Gage Jump got the win and is now 6-8 on the season.
It was Gage Jump who took the ball for the A’s on Tuesday in what was his 17th appearance of the season (all starts). Jump was really solid for the A’s in a game that they desperately needed some length from their starter. Jump cruised through six innings for the A’s before running into some trouble in the seventh inning, where he gave up two runs. All in, Jump gave up just two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out nine Twins hitters across his outing. He left with the lead and turned the ball over to the bullpen with one out in the seventh inning after throwing 94 pitches.
“His mechanics looked great,” Mark Kotsay said about Gage Jump after the game. “He made a conscious effort to stay in line and pound the zone. Probably I would say, I don’t want to say it was his best outing, but it was definitely one of the top for him to get into the seventh inning…”
“Frustrated with how it finished, but I think overall compared to my last couple of outings, the efficiency was better,” Jump said after the game. “[I was] landing breaking balls in zone early, landing the changeup in zone early. So all that stuff, the execution was much better. So that’s what I was happy about.”
First out of the bullpen for the A’s was Hogan Harris, pitching in what is probably not his normal inning, but a high-leverage situation Mark Kotsay wanted one of his best relievers for. Harris got the final two outs of the seventh inning, albeit allowing one inherited runner to score. Harris was charged with one hit and a walk with one strikeout across his two-thirds of an inning of work.
In the eighth inning, it was Luis Medina on for the A’s. Medina was sharp as he allowed nothing in his one inning of relief while striking out one in what was a stress-free affair for the young right-hander.
In the ninth inning, the A’s went to Elvis Alvarado to close things out. Alvarado had a flawless ninth inning to record the save for the A’s and wrap up what was a pretty clean pitching game for the A’s.
On the offensive side of the ball, the A’s managed four runs on just seven hits and one walk in the ballgame.
The A’s first two runs came in the second inning courtesy of Carlos Cortes. Cortes blasted a two-run home run over the wall in right field to give the A’s the early 2-0 lead. It was the eighth home run for Cortes and RBIs 36 and 37 for the outfielder. The home run left the bat at 100.5 mph and landed 391 feet from home plate.
The rest of the A’s scoring came in the sixth inning when the A’s scored two more runs. The first of the two runs came when Tommy White doubled home Lawrence Butler for his eighth RBI of the season and his fourth double. Later that inning, it was Donovan Walton who hit an RBI single to give the A’s their fourth and final run of the game. It was the 19th RBI for Walton and gave the A’s the 4-0 lead at the time.
The A’s and Twins will play the rubber game of the three-game series on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. PDT at Sutter Health Park. J.T. Ginn (8-8, 3.60 ERA) will take the ball for the A’s on Wednesday as the Twins will counter with Connor Prielipp (3-7, 5.57 ERA).
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.
