By Morris Phillips

The A’s are back at it: winning close games, and beating familiar opponents.

The Astros know the drill all too well, allowing four hits and three runs in the ninth—including Jed Lowrie’s rally-inducing leadoff home run–to take a tough loss, 4-3 to the surging A’s.

Oakland improved to 4-1 in one-run ballgames, and 8-3 in the AL West. All the success added up has the A’s holding the best record in the American League at this pubescent stage of the season, nothing to sneeze at with the two-time division champs getting all the attention they can handle from the Astros, Angels and Mariners thus far.

But even with all the attention, the division is where the A’s do all their best work, finishing nine games over .500 in 2012, and 12 games over .500 in 2013. By winning 8 of 11 thus far the A’s have upped their game within the division in 2014. The Astros are clearly their preferred opponent, after Saturday, the A’s have beaten Houston 17 out of the last 21 meetings.

Lowrie found himself in a tough spot with the A’s trailing 3-1 and the A’s second baseman facing Astros’ closer Chad Qualls for the first time in his career.   In addition, the A’s didn’t see the Astros in the spring with Houston moving to the Citrus League, so the introductions had to be quick. Lowrie said afterwards that scouting reports told him he needed to look for a sinker or a slider from Qualls and he got one up in the zone on the fifth pitch of the at-bat and sent it over the right field fence.

“I wasn’t sure if it is was out, but we know the ball carries better during the day here,” Lowrie said.

Josh Donaldson followed with a five-pitch walk, and Yoenis Cespedes singled. John Jaso pinch-hit for Derek Norris, but struck out. Alberto Callaspo then singled home Donaldson to tie the game, setting the stage for Josh Reddick with two runners aboard.

Reddick hit a 1-2 pitch to center field that dropped, scoring Cespedes with the game-winning run.

The A’s spent most of the afternoon fumbling defensively and failing to cash in on the 14 hits they would gather. Houston starter Brett Oberholtzer had a bunch to do with that, scattering eights and a pair of walks to hold the A’s to just one run into the sixth. For Oakland, Scott Kazmir pitched well again, but defensive miscues left him trailing 3-1 after eight innings. Kazmir was on the short end, but he showed all the signs of his renaissance, starting 19 of the 30 batters he saw with strikes, and getting through eight efficiently, throwing just 109 pitches.

“I thought he pitched great again,” manager Bob Melvin said of Kazmir. “At times we didn’t play well behind him, but he’s doesn’t let that stuff bother him.”

“It’s great to be able to go deep in the games and still have quality pitches,” Kazmir said of his outing.

The A’s look for the sweep on Sunday with Jesse Chavez facing Houston’s Brad Peacock.

NOTES: The numbers continue to bare out what A’s fans—who have been flocking to the Coliseum for a couple of years now—already know: the A’s are among the biggest winners in the game. The A’s have won 202 of 341 games since opening day 2012, which is the best record of any major league team during that span (tied with the Atlanta Braves after their 3-1 win over the Mets on Saturday).