Hit high the Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez says “good bye baseball” with a three run fourth inning home run against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Apr 3, 2021 (AP News photo)

Houston. 9. 13. 1

Oakland. 1. 3. 0

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The A’s came into this afternoon’s game still looking for their first win of the season. Slow starts are nothing new for this team; in eight of the last ten seasons, they have been 1-2 after three games. They tried today to join that not particularly prestigious club. (Spoiler alert: they didn’t) in a 9-1 shellacking to the Houston Astros on Saturday.

Last night’s contest threatened to become a prelude to disaster when Ramón Laureano had to leave the game after injuring his hand. It turned out to be merely a contusion, and the A’s centerfielder is listed as day to day.

Cole Irvin, Oakland’s starting pitcher, is a 27 year old lefty with a lifetime won-loss record of 2-2 and an equally unimpressive ERA of 6.75 for the Philadelphia Phillies, but his numbers for the A’s this spring were impressive: 1-1, ERA 1.00 over five games, three of which he started. He gave up ten hits in eighteen innings, surrendered only one home run, and struck out 18 opponents against three walks.

Irvin’s counterpart on the mound was the veteran right hander Lance McCullers, Jr. He brought with him a career record of 32-25, 3.70 against all comers and 5-2, 4.04 against the A’s. For 2020, those figures were 3-3, 3.93 and 5-2, 4.04, respectively.

It didn’t take long for Houston to get to Irvin. A hit batter, Michael Brantley, with one out, followed by Aledmys Díaz’s double off the left center field wall, and an RBI base knock by Kyle Tucker, and Oakland was trailing by a tally with runners at the corners. But Carlos Correa hit into an around the horn double play, and, just like that, Irvin had limited the damage.

McCullers got himsef in trouble in the bottom of the first and then, with a little help frome home plate umpire Dan Bellino, also escaped with minimal damage. Lead off walks to Mark Canha and Matt Olson, followed by a Matt Chapman strike out on a pair of wicked cutters after the count had reached 1-1, and Mitch Moreland´s RBI single to center evened the score with two on and none out. But Chad Pinder went down swinging, and Stephen Piscotty was called out on a 3-2 knuckle curve that seemed too many, including. me, to have missed the plate.

The Astros took the lead back in the second when Jose Altluve’s bases loaded two out single to left brought home Yordán Alvarez, who had opened the frame with a single to center. But, in spite of a walk to Yuri Gurriel and singles by Myles Straw and Altuve, Irvin wriggled out of the jam, striking out Martín Maldonado and Chas McCormiock, pinch hitting for Brantley, who left the game due to right wrist discomfort.

Irvin held the Astros in check until the fifth. He hit McCormick with a pitch and surrendered a single when Díaz´s line drive just barely eluded Chapman’s glove and landed in left for a single. Irvin got the left handed Tucker to pop out to short. This brought Correa to the plate, the righty-lefty match up, calling for a right handed hurler to face Houston’s shortstop.

Bob Melvin brouht in Lou Trevino to relieve his young starter. The tactic worked; Correa struck out. But last year’s rule change meant that Trevino had to pitch to the left handed hitting Alvarez, who blasted the second pitch he saw over the center field fence, just to the right of the 388 foot sign.

This gave Houston a 5-1 lead and Irvin a line of 4-1/3 innings pitched, 7 hits, one walk and 4 runs , all earned allowed, two strike outs. His pitch count was 82, with 55 strikes. Trevino retired all seven of the other batters he faced before being lifted for Burch Smith who took over mound duties to start the eighth.

Ryne Stanek replaced Lance McCullers to open the Oakland sixth. He left with a line of five innings pitched, one run, earned, two hits, and three walks charged to him. He struck out seven. 54 of his 95 pitches counted as strikes

Enoli Paredes, in turn, relieved McCullers at the start of the home eighth. getting Aramis García out on a grounder back to the mound. Then, hope rose eternal, and Oakland loaded the bases on a single Olson, sandwiched between walks to Canha and Chapman. But Brooks Raley came to Houston´s rescue and struck out Jed Lowrie, pinch hitting for Moreland, swinging. Hope rose again when Chad Pinder clouted one out to deep right center, only to die on the warning track in the glove of Myles Straw.

Reymin Guduan couldn´t hold the Astros within what they had, just a few minutes earlier, seemed like striking distance. Maldonado opened the visitors´ninth with a single to right. Altuve walked. McCormick doubled, sending Maldonado home and Altuve to third. He scored and McCormick replaced him on third when Díaz singled to left. McCormick then scored on a wild pitch to Tucker, while Díaz moved up to second. Another wild pitch sent Díaz to third. Correa broke the monotony with a single to center. He went to second on yet another wild pitch. Finally, Guduan got out of the inning by retiring Alvarez and Gurriel.

The As went down 1,2,3 in their half of the ninth.

McCullers got the win; Raley, the save. The loss went to Irvin.

Oh, well, tomorrow is another day, and Sean Manaea will try to save one game of the series before the Dodgers come to town on Monday. José Urquidy will try to extend Houston’s winning streak to four. Game time is 1:07 at the Oakland Coliseum.