WEST SACRAMENTO -- Gage Jump’s arrival came with such high expectations as one of the more hyped prospects to make his way through the Athletics’ system in quite some time that you almost forget he was only making his 12th Major League start on Tuesday.
For almost any young pitcher, there will be highs and lows as they establish themselves at this level. Jump’s career started off with a bang as he posted a 2.04 ERA through his first six starts. Then, he seemingly hit a wall, going 0-5 with an 8.31 ERA in the next five starts.
On Tuesday night, Jump was back to looking like that electric rookie who burst onto the scene earlier this season, firing six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts to set the tone for the A’s in a 4-3 victory over the Red Sox at Sutter Health Park.
Since his first call to the Majors on May 26, Jump’s stuff has never been a question. At times, however, he’s had problems putting hitters away, with foul balls leading to lengthy at-bats and high pitch counts. Against Boston, Jump missed more bats than ever before with the A’s, recording a career-high 19 whiffs, nine coming on his fastball, which maxed out at 97.8 mph, and six on his wipeout slider.
Offensively, the A’s were led by rookie Tommy White, who notched his second career four-hit night, and Brian Serven, who launched a two-run homer to center in the seventh. It was his first homer with the A’s and first Major League home run since Aug. 21, 2022, against the Giants while playing for the Rockies.