by Jerry Feitelberg

Sonny Gray started game two of the three-game series with Houston. Gray was opposed by his good friend, former Athletic ace Scott Kazmir, was on the hill for Houston. The A’s prevailed 4-0. Gray outpitched his good friend Kazmir and was in control all the way. Kazmir pitched well but made two mistakes and Billy Burns and Mark Canha made him pay as they each homered against their old mate. Gray won his thirteenth game of the year, and his ERA dropped to 2.28, lowest in the American League. Ryan Dull pitched two innings of scoreless ball to close out the game for Oakland.

The A’s centerfielder, Billy Burns, took his old mate, Scott Kazmir, deep to give the A’s a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third.The ball just made it over the wall, just to the right of the Comcast sign. It is Burns’ fourth tater of the season for Burns, and it came on a 0-2 pitch.

The A’s took a 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Marcus Semien worked Kazmir for a walk. Semien stole second and advanced on a Billy Burns single to right. The ball was not hit deep enough for Semien to score from second and third base coach Ron Washington put up the stop sign. After a visit to the mound by the Astros pitching coach, Kazmir went to work trying to get Mark Canha out. That strategy failed as Canha hit a bomb into the seats in left field for a three-run dinger. Kazmir composed himself to retire the next two hitters, but, the damage was done.

Neither team scored the rest of the way as the A’s beat the Astros for the second day in a row. Final score 4-0 in favor of the A’s.

Game Notes- The A’s won their sixtieth game of the season and fifteenth by shutout. Oakland leads the league in that department. The A’s homered for a season-high fourteen game in a row. Mark Canha was 2-for-4 and homered for the sixth time in his last twenty games. Billy Burns had two hits and is batting .344 with thirteen runs scored, one double, one triple, two home runs, eight RBIs and eight multiple hit games over his last thirteen games.

Houston has lost five of their last seven games. With the loss and a Texas win, their lead in the AL West division is just one game. The Rangers, right now, woul be the second Wild-Card team if the playoffs were to start tomorrow. Scott Kazmir is 2-5 since being traded to Houston.The Astros are 27-40 on the road this year and have eight more games to play before returning home.

Injury update- Stephen Vogt underwent a second ultrasound examination, and it the doctors determined that his injury does not require surgery. Vogt will travel with the team on the ten-game road trip starting Friday in Texas. Pitcher Chris Bassitt, recovering from a sore right shoulder, could play catch this week, but Bob Melvin expressed doubt about his return before the end of the season.

Sad News-The Astros and A’s are sending condolences to the family of Joaquin Andujar. Andujar, who pitched seven seasons with the Astros and was with the A’s for two seasons, passed away Tuesday at the age of sixty-two from complications of diabetes. Andujar had a thirteen-year Major League career.

The A’s and Astros play game three of the series Wednesday night at 7:05 pm at the O.co Coliseum. Aaron Brooks will pitch for the Green and Gold, and Collin McHugh will handle the pitching for Houston.

Time of game was 2 hours and thirty-three minutes, and there were 11,364 faithful on hand to watch the proceedings.