Jump overwhelmed by Dodgers lineup, gives up first 2 career home runs in A’s loss
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- Gage Jump surrendered the first two home runs of his MLB career in the fourth inning.
- The Dodgers beat the A’s 9-4 as Los Angeles improved to a 55-30 record.
- Rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer recorded a 3-for-4 debut with his first MLB hit and run.
Six starts into his MLB career leading up to Monday, 23-year-old left-handed Athletics star Gage Jump had a 2.04 ERA and hadn’t surrendered a home run, establishing himself as one of the A’s future stars.
In that stretch, though, Jump had only faced one team above .500 — the 47-38 Chicago Cubs — with many of the other clubs being among the worst-performing teams in the league.
Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who sport the best record in the MLB, offered Jump a test in front of a sold-out, Dodger-dominated Sutter Health Park crowd. Could he compete with what is widely considered the most dangerous and consistent lineup in baseball?
Heading into the top of the fourth inning, Jump appeared up to the task. The A’s were leading 3-2 and had only surrendered runs during an unlucky, four-single third frame.
Then came the long balls.
Though Jump retired four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani for the third time during that fourth inning, the Dodgers lineup proved to be too much for the young lefty to handle as he surrendered the first two home runs of his MLB career in a demoralizing inning.
Max Muncy, of the Dodgers, smoked a 422-foot home run to lead off the inning and tie the game, while Andy Pages launched a two-run bomb later in the frame to give the Dodgers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish en route to a 9-4 win to kick off a three-game series in West Sacramento.
“It’s frustrating,” Jump said after the game. “Our offense, after I gave up two, they put up three. Then, I couldn’t hold it.”
The loss drops the A’s to 40-44, though they still sit within reach of the American League West lead and final AL Wild Card spot. The Dodgers improved to 55-30.
‘I’ve just got to be better’
Before the three-run fourth inning, Jump looked to be holding the Dodgers lineup at bay.
L.A.’s second-inning runs were aided by a misread in the outfield, a sub-75-mph ground ball and two other middling swings that led to singles. After surrendering the two runs, Jump struck out Ohtani and Pages, two of his five strikeouts Monday, to limit the damage.
“Overall he battled, he competed,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said postgame. “We’re going to learn from this outing. He’s going to give another shot … a tough one for him, but one that I think will definitely make him better.”
Despite showing some encouraging moments, Jump, like the entirety of the A’s pitching staff Monday, struggled to limit the Dodgers hitting, surrendering 11 hits in his 4 ⅔ innings of work, while walking none. The A’s surrendered 17 hits total during the game, with Ohtani mashing a three-run home run off reliever Matt Krook in the sixth inning to break the game wide open.
“My job is to go out and compete and win games. I don’t care who the other team is,” said Jump, whose ERA rose to 2.93 after the game. “I’ve just got to be better.”
Monday call-ups shine in loss
With two A’s starters, All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson and outfielder Tyler Soderstrom, landing on the 10-day injured list ahead of Monday’s game and reliever Jose Suarez going on the paternity list, the club called up No. 9 overall prospect infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer for his MLB debut and recalled No. 11 overall right-hander Kade Morris.
Both Morris and Kuroda-Grauer made their presence known against the Dodgers.
With one out and runners on first and second and the A’s down 2-1, Kuroda-Grauer came to the plate in a big spot in the bottom of the second inning. In his first MLB at-bat, he smacked an RBI single for his first Major League hit. He then followed it up with another single, a double and his first MLB run later in the game for a 3-for-4 debut.
“This is the best day of my life,” Kuroda-Grauer said after the game.
Morris, who was sent back down to Triple-A after a rough nine-run MLB debut in early June, surrendered one run in three innings of work out of the bullpen. After giving up a few weak hits in the eighth inning, Morris got out of a tough jam by striking out Teoscar Hernandez with two outs and ate three important innings, allowing the rest of the A’s bullpen to stay prepared for the rest of the series.
“Kade did a great job of keeping us in the game,” Kotsay said. “He got out of a tough jam, executing the sinker down, getting some ground balls when he needed to.”
Before getting pinch hit for, A’s outfielder Colby Thomas was another bright spot, going 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the second inning, his third long ball of the season.
Overall, every starting A’s hitter besides likely All-Star Shea Langeliers, who went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, reached base at least once in the 11-hit effort.
Kings draft picks throw first pitch
The Sacramento Kings’ three draft picks, including No. 7 overall pick Darius Acuff Jr., threw out the ceremonial first pitches Monday. The pitches continued a trend that began last season when Kings picks Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud threw out the first pitch during a July contest for the A’s, who temporarily call West Sacramento home ahead of a planned move to Las Vegas.
Acuff, the SEC Player of the Year out of Arkansas, former UConn forward Alex Karaban (first round, 29th overall pick) and former Houston guard Emanuel Sharp (second round, 45th overall pick) all wore green Athletics jerseys as they threw out the first pitches before the game. Earlier Monday, the three were introduced at a news conference, alongside Kings General Manager Scott Perry.
The A’s continue their series against the Dodgers with 6:40 p.m. games Tuesday and Wednesday at Sutter Health Park.
This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 11:11 PM with the headline "Jump overwhelmed by Dodgers lineup, gives up first 2 career home runs in A’s loss."
