Texas Rangers starter Jacob deGrom had command of his pitches and the Sacramento A’s at Globe Life Field in Arlington in the opening of a three game series on Mon Aug 31, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics found almost nothing to hit against Jacob deGrom, and the Texas Rangers steadily turned his dominance into an 8-1 victory. DeGrom allowed one hit over seven scoreless innings, struck out eight, issued no walks and faced the minimum 21 batters. Lawrence Butler supplied Sacramento’s only hit against him with a leadoff single in the second, but Tommy White struck out and Max Muncy grounded into a double play, erasing Butler and letting deGrom move on without facing an extra hitter.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner needed only 85 pitches, 56 for strikes, and improved to 10-9 while lowering his ERA to 4.00. Texas gave him all the support he needed in the bottom of the second against rookie left-hander Gage Jump. Brandon Nimmo reached on an infield single, Jake Burger doubled him to third, and Elias Díaz grounded out to score Nimmo. Cody Freeman followed with a single to deep center that brought Burger home for a 2-0 lead.

The Rangers added another run in the third when Corey Seager drew a walk, advanced on a wild pitch and a Wyatt Langford fly ball, then scored on Nimmo’s RBI single. Justin Foscue made it 4-0 in the fourth with his 10th home run of the season, a solo shot to left.

Texas stretched the margin further in the fifth. Ezequiel Duran singled, Seager and Langford drew walks to load the bases, and Nimmo lifted a sacrifice fly that scored Duran. Jump’s outing ended after 4 1/3 innings when Chris Roycroft took over, but the Rangers added two more runs before the inning ended. Burger singled home Seager, and Evan Carter’s fielder’s choice scored Langford for a 7-0 advantage.

Jump was charged with seven runs on six hits and three walks, struck out two and fell to 6-9 as his ERA rose to 5.15. Roycroft gave Sacramento 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, before José Suarez handled the eighth.

Texas scored its final run against Suarez when Logan O’Hoppe doubled and Freeman singled him home, giving Freeman two hits and two RBIs. Nimmo also finished with two hits and two RBIs while scoring once, helping Texas total nine hits.

Sacramento’s offense finally stirred after deGrom and Robby Ahlstrom had combined to hold the A’s to one hit through eight innings. Carlos Cortes opened the ninth with a single off Ben Peoples, and Jonah Heim followed with a double to put runners at second and third. Darell Hernaiz then lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Cortes and preventing a shutout. Peoples retired Henry Bolte and Jeff McNeil to finish it.

Sacramento ended with three hits, no walks and 11 strikeouts. The loss dropped the Athletics to 53-85 and extended their skid to four games. They finished August 8-20, their poorest August since going 7-21 in 1978, while Texas improved to 68-70.

The series continues Tuesday with right-hander J.T. Ginn scheduled for Sacramento. Ginn is 9-8 with a 3.71 ERA and 121 strikeouts. Texas will counter with left-hander MacKenzie Gore, who is 7-10 with a 4.40 ERA and 165 strikeouts. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 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.