Oakland A’s starter Frankie Montas (47) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Houston Astros at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed May 19, 2021 (AP News photo)

Houston 8 – 15 – 2

Oakland 1 – 4 – 0

By Lewis Rubman

Wed May 19, 2021

OAKLAND–Tuesday night, the Houston Astros (25-18) had the Oakland A’s (26-18) against the ropes for most of their nine inning bout, but they never threw the knockout punch and couldn’t even pull off a split decision. Oakland flew like a butterfly and stung like a bee, a bee named Ramón Laureano, until the mean fighting machine from Texas hit the canvas at the final bell. You can’t expect a game like that every day, but you always come hoping that somehow, you’ll get one.

Wednesday’s contest promised at least one similarity with last night’s; Houston sent to the mound a pitcher who seemed to have the advantage over his counterpart for Oakland.

Indeed, Zack Greinke is an established front line hurler who, alone with Greg Maddox and Bob Gibson, has pitched in three All-Star Games and won six Gold Gloves. He is among the select list of a dozen pitchers with at least 1,000 strikeouts to his credit in each major league. He has won a Cy Young Award (not to mention a Silver Slugger trophy). These are only a few of the highlights of his sixteen year MLB career.

So, what has Greinke done for Houston recently? Five days ago, he went seven innings against the Rangers, allowing three runs, all earned, on seven hits and a walk while striking out five. In his three previous starts, he hadn’t gotten past the fourth frame.

He’s faced the A’s once in ’21, earning the win in the season opener with six innings of three hit shutout ball. Although his won-lost record stands at 3-1, his ERA is an unimpressive 4.18. It was 4.03 in last year’s anomolous season. He’s 37 years old and very likely on the down side of his distinguished career.

He is getatable; Detroit touched him for six earned runs on ten hits in 4-2/3 innings on April 12. And let’s not forget that Ramón Laureano had a slash line of .545/.545/1.182, in 11 plate appearance against the probable Hall of Famer before they faced each other in the bottom of the first.

Frankie Montás (5-2, 4.93), the immensely talented 28 year old the A’s will throw against the ‘stros, is anything but the seasoned veteran he faced off against. During his three year big league career, he has shown immense promise and experienced several difficulties, not always of his own doing.

So far this year, his record is decidedly mixed, not just in the contrast between his won-lost record and ERA. The quality of his work at home differs greatly from that of his road performances. Away from home, he’s gone 2-1 with an earned run average of 2.50. At the Coliseum, he’s 3-1, even though his ERA is a high altitude 6.75.

José Altuve greeted Montás rudely, driving his first pitch of the game, an 88 mph slider, 396 feet into the left field seats. It was the diminutive second sackers fifth home run and eighteenth RBI of the young season and extended his hitting streak to 13 games, a Baker´s dozen.

It seemed as though this might be a passing glinch in Montás´s evening when Michael Brantley went down swinging on three pitches. But Alex Bregman drew a walk, and, after Montás K´d Yordán Alvarez, Yuli Gurriel singled to right, sending Bergman to second.

He scored from there on Carlos Correa’s bloop single to right. Montás ended the inning by striking out Kyle Tucker. Nowadays, that´s called striking out the side. In my youth, it was called striking out three but allowing two runs to score.

The A’s halved the Houston lead when, with two down in the bottom of the second, Chad Pinder singled to right and scored on Sean Murphy’s double to left.

Montás finished his shift after five innings or hard labor. He threw 98 pitches in that span, and 66 of those counted as strikes. It was’t until the fourth, when Brantley was the only Astros to get on base, that he finished a frame without allowing a.t least two base runners. In fifth, he finally retired the side in order. The two runs charged to him were earned, and they came on seven hits and two walks. He struck out six.

Deolis Guerra took over pitching duties in the sixth. His battery mate was Aramis García, who had replaced Murphy in the bottom of the fourth following blow to the head of the A’s starting catcher in the top of that episode. Bob Melvin said that it looks like he might be able to play tomorrow.

The only offense the A’s could muster betwen Murphy’s RBI double in the second and Canha’s one out single to left in the sixth was an infield single by Andrus to lead off the third. Canha hustled to second when Brantley lost control of the Athletics’ DH hit, but that was as far as he got.

Guerra disposed of the Astros in the sixth with a little help from a pitcher’s best friend. He retired the first two men he faced in the seventh but then walked Bergman and allowed a single to right by Alvarez. Gurriel cleared the bases on a 3-2 count with a double that the leaping Canha almost caught at the fence (it almost got over the fence as well). Enter Sergio Romo. The much booed Carlos Correa slapped a single to right, plating Gurriel with Houston’s third run of the inning, all of them charged to Guerra.

Adam Kolarek was on the hill to open the eighth. Myles Straw greeted him with a grounder that just evaded Lowrie’s reach. The Houston center fielder made it into scoring position at second on the slow moving Maldonado’s grounder to short.

The dangerous Altuve struck out. He eventually had to settle for two hits in six at bats as the balance of his evening’s activity at the plate. It was Brantley’s single to center that brought Straw in with Houston’s sixth tally. After Kolarek walked Alvarez, Gurriel’s double to left brought Bergman in with Houston’s third run of the inning and eighth of the game. Montás was charged with the loss, bringing him to 5-3, 4.79, which actually lowered his ERA.

Greinke got the well deserved win. His record now stands at 4-1, 3.77. He threw 89 pitches (63 strikes) over eight innings, allowing one run on four hits, and no walks while recording eight strike outs, before being relieved by Kent Emanuel, a lefty who wears the number 0 on the back of his uniform and shut them down with only a man reaching first on an error by Bergman.

Besides Reymin Gudan, who came in to take the A’s to the finish line and escaped unscathed by anything worse than a single, Romo was the only Oakland hurler not charged with a run. On other hand, he allowed three inherited runners to score. It was not a an enouraging night for the Athletics’ bullpen.

The A’s will close out the series and their current home stand tomorrow in game a scheduled for a 12:37 start. Right hander Luis García (1-3, 3.34) will pitch for Houston. He’ll be matched against Oakland’s left handed pleasant surprise, Cole Irwin (3-4,3.02). The winning team will leave town in (probably temporary) possesion of first place in the AL West.

TO ERR IS HUMAN In my report on last night’s game, I mistakenly identified the pivot man in the nifty double play the A’s pulled off in the eighth inning as second baseman Tony Kemp. The shortstop, Chad Pinder, should have been credited with a put out and an assist on that play.