With the worst record in all of the American League, and a chance to tie the three game series, Houston (14-35) desperately needed a win against the Oakland A’s (27-23) on Saturday. But with 6 runs scored in the second inning and four runs scored in the fourth, the Athletics created an early large deficit that Houston never recovered from. Oakland won, 11-5.
After leading 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning, the Astros looked prepared to battle back from the game one loss on Friday.
But once Seth Smith and Josh Donaldson scored runs in the top of the second inning, the Astros were hit by an uncontrollable wave of Oakland scorers, dominated by Chris Young who scored twice.
In the bottom of the third, Matt Dominguez hit a home run and cut Oakland’s lead to four, but the 6-2 score didn’t last long; four A’s batters scored in the top of the fourth. Donaldson and Brandon Moss hit back-to-back homers, and John Jaso and Coco Crisp scored runs.
After a scoreless fifth inning, the Astros bounced back, Jose Altuve scored a run in the sixth and Dominquez hit a homer in the seventh inning, his second of the night. While the Astros were scoring the A’s were cold in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.
With only two innings remaining in the game, the Astros looked good. They brought the score to 10-5 and kept the A’s scoreless. But the Astros’ careless mistakes controlled the remainder of the game. In the eighth inning Donaldson was able to hit deep off of Wesley Wright’s pitch, allowing Smith to score for the A’s.
Oakland reached a season high of seventeen hits, and all nine Oakland batters had an RBI and solo home runs. Their early and consistent productivity was the Astros downfall.
Athletics newcomer veteran shortstop Jed Lowrie—who was traded from Houston to Oakland in a five-player deal back in February—believes that the Athletics have a realistic chance to win more games this season than the Astros.
“You’re always somewhat focused on what you’re trying to do on the field, but it makes it a really long year when you’re not having any success as a team,” Lowrie said. “You can go out and have a great day and lose and it just doesn’t feel the same. You can go out there and have a bad day and win, and you feel good.”
Saturday’s 11-5 victory is Oakland’s seventh win in the last eight games. The win brings Oakland’s all-time record against the Astros to 13-1.
