Oakland Athletics’ Jed Lowrie, center, is mobbed by teammates after making the game winning hit against the Houston Astros in the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 8, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot

By Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND, Calif. – Friday night, the Oakland Athletics looked like they were on their way to the usual ending they get when facing the Houston Astros; a loss. Thanks to some late-inning dramatics from Marcus Semien, Boog Powell and Jed Lowrie, the A’s turned what would have been an 11^th-straight home loss to the Astros into a 9-8 walk-off win.

Lowrie singled home the winning run, Boog Powell hit one of four A’s homers to tie the game in the 9^th and Marcus Semien hit a then game-tying grand slam to help the A’s erase a 7-3 deficit. A’s starter Jharel Cotton allowed six runs on 3 homers, but Houston starter Collin McHugh departed his start just 3 innings in after suffering from a right middle finger avulsion.

Powell opened the 9^th facing fireballing closer Ken Giles (1-3, 2.63 ERA) with the A’s trailing 8-7. He quickly fell behind 0-2 on a pair of fastballs before hitting his second homer of the year to right field on a slider from the Astros closer.

“I just wanted to get on base,” said Powell. “I knew he had the heater, and he throws hard, so I was just trying to go the other way with it, then he threw me a slider right where I liked it, and it ended up going out.”

Oakland continued to rally after Semien singled and Matt Joyce walked. Lowrie flared a Giles offering to center field that Cameron Maybin originally charged in on. He pulled up, and with Marcus Semien going half-way to 3^rd base already, failed to get the ball to home plate in time to stop Oakland’s short stop from scoring the winning run.

The A’s needed to rally after Blake Treinen (2-6, 4.48) gave up a run in the stop of the 9^th. Josh Reddick doubled home George Springer with two outs to take a 8-7 lead, one of 4 RBIs for the former Oakland Athletic.

Reddick’s run would have been just an insurance run for a cushy Houston lead if not for Semien’s bases-loaded shot in the bottom of the 7^th off another former Athletic, Luke Gregerson. Semien’s no-doubter, his 6^th of the year, as his first long ball since July 8^th.

“That’s what last year I did a lot more of. I’m just trying to hit the ball hard,” said Semien. “When you get pitches to drive out of the ballpark it’s always nice to do it. It just hasn’t been happening as often this year.”

The Astros were cruising to the win despite McHugh’s early exit thanks to a trio of homers off A’s starter Jharel Cotton. Jose Altuve, Josh Reddick and Yuli Gurriel all hit two-run shots off Cotton in his 5 innings of work, with Reddick also doubling a run off Cotton.

“He’s got to get the ball down,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin. “He has to keep the ball in the ballpark.”

Oakland trailed 7-3 when Cotton exited the game thanks to homers from Matt Chapman (two runs) and Matt Joyce to stay afloat against McHugh before being shut down by Houston’s pen for the next 3 innings.

Saturday the A’s send a pair of Daniels to the mound in a true traditional double-header. Daniel Gosset gets the ball in game one, while former Astros farmhand Daniel Mengden toes the rubber in game two. The Astros counter with Charlie Morton and former Sacramento Rivercat Brad Peacock.