Gage Jump<\/a><\/strong> did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, ultimately lasting into the seventh and striking out nine as his Athletics<\/a> defeated the visiting Minnesota Twins<\/a>, 4\u20132, Tuesday night in West Sacramento.<\/p>\n Jump and the relief trio of Hogan Harris<\/a><\/strong>, Luis Medina<\/a><\/strong>, and Elvis Alvarado<\/a><\/strong> combined to limit the Twins to four hits and three walks en route to the victory. Offensively, Carlos Cortes<\/a><\/strong> batted 1-for-3 with a homer and two RBI. Lawrence Butler<\/a><\/strong>, who entered the game slashing .284\/.363\/.494 (23-for-81) in August, went 2-for-4 with a run scored, continuing his strong month offensively.<\/p>\n Twins starting pitcher Taj Bradley<\/a><\/strong> also pitched well through five before a two-run sixth by the Athletics bumped his earned runs to four, taking away a quality start from the young right-hander. Bradley ended the night allowing four runs on seven hits across 6 2\/3 innings. He walked one and struck out 11.<\/p>\n Cortes opened the scoring with his two-out two-run homer in the bottom of the second. He drove in Alika Williams<\/a><\/strong>, whose two-out double extended the inning.<\/p>\n The score became 4\u20130 in the bottom of the sixth after three straight two-out hits. Butler singled sharply to left and scored on a Tommy White<\/a><\/strong> double. White crossed the plate when Donovan Walton<\/a><\/strong> dumped a single to right.<\/p>\n The Twins cut the lead in half in the top of the seventh. After Kody Clemens<\/a><\/strong> beat out the relay to first on a potential double-play grounder, Kaelen Culpepper<\/a><\/strong> doubled him home with a sharp liner to center. Exit stage right for Jump. In came Harris, who gave up a tough double on a popup near the line in shallow right. Walton, hustling over from second, got his glove on it. However, he lost the handle while attempting to complete what would have been a highlight-reel over-the-shoulder catch, advancing Culpepper to third as the batter, Brooks Lee<\/a><\/strong>, reached second. Victor Caratini<\/a><\/strong> drove Culpepper in with a bouncing rocket near the third-base line. A diving Zack Gelof<\/a><\/strong> saved a double, holding Lee at second as he threw out the hustling Caratini on a close play.<\/p>\n Harris did not allow any more runs in the seventh despite walking Ryan Kreidler<\/a><\/strong>, who came up next. A 96-mph 1\u20132 fastball near the knees on the inside corner locked up Luke Keaschall<\/a><\/strong> and ended the threat. Medina and Alvarado followed with 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to seal the 4\u20132 win.<\/p>\n All four of the Athletics\u2019 RBI came with two outs. Additionally, their two-run second and two-run sixth both involved consecutive two-out hits. In the second, Williams doubled before the Cortes homer. And in the sixth, Butler, White, and Walton singled, doubled, and singled, respectively, with Butler and White both scoring.<\/p>\n Jump notched his sixth Quality Start Tuesday night, second on the team behind J.T. Ginn<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s 11. Across 6 1\/3 innings, he allowed two runs on three hits, two walks, and nine strikeouts.<\/p>\n In addition to their four two-out RBI, the Athletics batted 2-for-4 with runners in scoring position and only left four runners on base.<\/p>\nAthletics \u2013 Twins Game Summary<\/h3>\n
What Went Right for the Athletics<\/h3>\n
Clutch Hitting<\/h4>\n
Starting Pitching<\/h4>\n
Took Advantage of Scoring Chances<\/h4>\n
What Went Wrong for the Athletics<\/h3>\n
Botched Infield Popup<\/h4>\n