Photo credit: @astros

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Houston Astros rallied for two runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to defeat the A’s 4-1 to sweep the three-game series. The A’s starter, Daniel Mengden, pitched one of the best games of his career, but his effort was not quite good enough as opposing pitcher, Gerrit Cole, was a wee bit better. Cole, in his first year in the American League, improved to 4-1 and his ERA is just 1.43. Mengden’s record is now 2-4.

It was an old-fashioned pitching duel as Mengden and Cole baffled the hitters for the first five innings of the game. The A’s broke through in the bottom of the sixth after Matt Joyce singled with one and Jed Lowrie followed with a double. Cole walked Khris Davis to put men on at first and second with one out. Cole rose to the occasion as he struck Matt Olson and Matt Chapman to end the threat. The A’s led 1-0 after six.

Mengden was cruising along quite nicely until there were two outs in the top of the seventh. Former A’s prospect Max Stassi hit a bomb that went over the right-center-field wall for his third of the season. The next hitter Derek Fisher outdid Stassi as his home run went way, way back into the second deck of the bleachers in center field.

A’s manager Bob Melvin took Mengden out of the game and brought in Yusmeiro Petit to get the final out of the inning

Game Notes: The A’ s announced that starting pitcher, Trevor Cahill has been placed on the 10-day DL.

The A’s have five pitchers on the DL: Cahill, Paul Blackburn, Liam Hendriks, Jharel Cotton, and Ryan Buchter.

The A’s recalled Dustin Fowler from Nashville to fill the spot on the roster. Fowler had his first at-bat in the Majors in the bottom of the seventh, and he popped out to the Astros’ second baseman Jose Altuve.

The Astros used four pitchers to down the A’s on Wednesday. Cole got the win, but relievers Joe Smith and Will Harris were credited with holds and Ken Giles was credited with his fifth save of the season.

The A’s split the six-game home series with a record of 3-3.

Up Next: The A’s start a 10-game road trip on Friday in New York as they face the red-hot New York Yankees at 4:05 pm PT. Then it’s off the Boston for three and Toronto for four. It doesn’t get any easier as the A’s return home to play the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. Whoever put this schedule together at MLB must have it in for Oakland.