Athletics Hang On, Defeat Red Sox

Brian Serven and Henry Bolte of the Athletics celebrating Serven's homer against the Red Sox

Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

July 28, 2026

Athletics 4, Red Sox 3

Multiple multi-hit games from the bottom half of the batting order led the Athletics to a 4–3 win over the visiting Red Sox Tuesday night at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.

Brian Serven homered for the first time in the majors since 2022, giving the Athletics a three-run cushion. Lawrence Butler doubled home Tommy White in the eighth for some insurance. Henry Bolte had two hits and an RBI. And White, for the second time in his ten-game major league career, had a four-hit night.

Starting pitcher Gage Jump set the Athletics up for success with six scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and walked four, also striking out seven in a winning effort.

Athletics – Red Sox Game Summary

The Athletics took a 1–0 lead in the bottom of the second thanks to a single from Henry Bolte. The hot smash up the middle scored Tommy White from second. They extended the lead to 3–0 in the bottom of the seventh on the Serven homer. In the top of the eighth, reliever Luis Medina — who pitched a scoreless seventh — allowed three of the four he faced to reach base. Only a groundball double play with runners on first and second and nobody out prevented this from being a complete mess. He bequeathed runners on the corners to Hogan Harris, who allowed one of the inherited runners to score on a single to right. With the score 3–1, runners still on the corners, and two outs, he struck out Ceddanne Rafaela to end the threat.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Athletics made it a 4–1 game when Lawrence Butler doubled White home. It came on a deep drive to center that one-hopped the wall after eluding the outstretched glove of Rafaela. That insurance run paid off in the top of the ninth. With two outs, pinch-hitter Connor Wong smoked the first pitch he saw for a two-run homer off Harris. Anthony Seigler, up next, put a scare into the crowd and the Athletics dugout with a deep fly to center. But Bolte ran it down on the warning track to make the catch and end the game.

What Went Right for the Athletics

Bottom of the Seventh

Clinging to a 1–0 lead, the Athletics grabbed two huge runs in the bottom of the seventh thanks to the Serven homer. They could have had another after one-out double to the left-field corner by Jacob Wilson. After Nick Kurtz struck out looking, Wilson stole third without a throw. Jonah Heim hit a liner up the middle, but it floated straight into the glove of Red Sox second baseman Romy Gonzalez to strand Wilson at third.

Bolte and Tanks

The seventh inning all started when Bolte made a successful ABS challenge. His keen eye turned a 3–2 strikeout into a walk. Additionally, in the second, Bolte drove in White for the first run of the game. And as mentioned before, White also had a great game offensively. After only playing ten major league games, he already has two four-hit games. The other came in the 5–2 Athletics win over the Diamondbacks on Monday, July 20 in Phoenix.

Starting Pitching

Gage Jump rattled off a Quality Start, meaning he pitched six or more innings and limited the opponent to three earned runs or less. This, obviously, gave the Athletics a great chance to win.

As mentioned earlier, he limited the Red Sox to three hits and four walks across six scoreless innings. He struck out seven and only allowed two Red Sox to even reach second base.

Escaping Jams

Part of the reason Jump had a successful start was his Houdini act. He escaped a first-inning jam (runners on first and second) with a GBDP. One inning later, he escaped a jam (runners on first and second) with a called strikeout. Another ground-ball double play bailed him out in the third when there was a runner on first and one out. In the fourth, it took some extra magic. He erased one baserunner with a pickoff-caught stealing and stranded another with a called strikeout.

Medina escaped a runner on second, one out scenario in the seventh with a swinging strikeout and a fly to the warning track.

What Went Wrong for the Athletics

High Pitches per Inning

Jump took 18 pitches to get through the first. In the second, he took 23. The third gave him a nice reprieve, with nine, as did the fourth, with eleven. But the fifth forced him to use a further sixteen pitches. So when it took him another 12 to get through the sixth, he had used 90 pitches and was done. With how much Athletics relievers as a whole have struggled, a seven-inning outing from the starter could have been useful.

Runners Left in Scoring Position

The Athletics left runners stranded in scoring position in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth. Yes, the Athletics still won, but a bigger cushion in the later innings would have kept the leverage down.

Game Almost Got Away

Luis Medina and Hogan Harris combined to allow three runs on two walks and five hits, including a homer, in the eighth and ninth innings. This turned a potential comfortable win into a nailbiter.

Looking Ahead

Jump (4–6) earned the win as Jake Bennett (6–4) — who also had a Quality Start — took a tough loss. Despite the rocky outing, Harris notched his ninth save of the season.

The Athletics (45–62) and Red Sox (55–51) will play the third game of their four-game set Wednesday evening. Patrick Sandoval (0–0, 3.21 ERA) will take the mound for the Red Sox against Jacob Lopez (5–4, 6.12 ERA) of the Athletics in a battle of lefties. First pitch will be at 6:40 pm Pacific/9:40 pm Eastern.