Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander who pitched six plus innings of no hit baseball throws against the Oakland A’s in the first inning at Ring Central Coliseum on Wed Jun 1, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Houston Astros (33-18) sent their ace, Justin Verlander, to the mound to face the Oakland A’s (20-33) on Wednesday afternoon at the Ring Central Coliseum. The Astros were hoping to sweep the three-game series from the A’s.

The A’s hoped that lefty Cole Irvin could stop the Astros and salvage a win. Both pitchers pitched well on Wednesday. In his five and 2/3 inning of work, Irvin held the hard-hitting Astros to one run and six hits. Verlander was better.

Verlander held the A’s hitless until one out in the seventh inning. The fans were starting to think Verlander would pitch his fourth career no-hitter. The A’s upset Verlander’s applecart when they scored three times to take a 3-1 lead after seven complete. It became a bullpen game.

The A’s relievers had to get the last six outs of the game. They held the fort in the eighth. Things went south in the ninth as the Astros scored four times to take a 5-3 lead. Oakland scored a run in the bottom of the ninth. The Astros won the game 5-4 and swept the three-game set from the A’s.

The Astros scored the game’s first run in the top of the third inning. With two out and Alex Bregman on first, singles by Yordan Alvarez and Aledmys Diaz gave Houston a 1-0 advantage.

Cole Irvin pitched well to keep his team within striking distance. Verlander was untouchable for six innings. In the bottom of the seventh, Verlander walked Chad Pinder. Verlander struck out Seth Brown for the second out.

A’s shortstop, Elvis Andrus, swinging a hot bat, doubled to drive in Pinder with the A’s first run. The next hitter, Christian Bethancourt, took Verlander deep.

The ball went over the centerfield wall to give the A’s a 3-1 lead. For Bethancourt, it was his first home run of the season, and it was his first home run since August 12th, 2016.

In the eighth, A’s relievers A.J.Puk, and Dany Jimenez had to work out of jams to keep the Astros from scoring. Jimenez ran out of luck in the top of the ninth. Astros’ centerfielder, former San Francisco Giant Mauricio Dubon, got the rally going with a single.

Yuli Guriel, pinch-hitting for Martin Maldonado, singled to put men on at first and second with no out. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. Jimenez walked Jose Altuve to load the bases. Jimenez struck out Kyle Tucker for the first out.

Jimenez walked Alex Bregman. Dubon scored, and the Astros trailed the A’s 3-2. Brad Ausmus, filling in for Mark Kotsay, who was tossed for giving his opinion to the home plate umpire, brought in lefty Sam Sellman to face left-handed hitter Yordan Alvarez.

Alvarez found a pitch to his liking, and his double to right-center cleared the bases to give the Astros a 5-3 lead. Astros’ manager Dusty Baker brought in Ryan Pressley to close out the game. The A’s scored a run and gave Baker some anxiety, but Oakland failed to tie the game and fell to Houston 5-4.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are 20-33. The Astros are 33-18. The A’s are 1-6 on the homestand and are now 2-10-1 over the last thirteen series.

The line score for the A’s was four runs, four hits, and no errors. The Astros’ line was five runs, eleven hits, and one error.

The Astros’ Bryan Abreu earned the win. Pressly recorded his eleventh save of the year. Dany Jimenez took the loss and is now 2-3. Cole Irvin did not figure in the decision. Irvin’s earned run average dropped to 2.96. That may have been the A’s only bright spot.

The A’s host the Boston Red Sox for three games starting at 6:40 pm Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum starting pitcher for the Red Sox Nathan Evoaldi (2-2, 3.77) and for the A’s James Kaprielian (0-2, 5.93)

The time of the game was 3:07. 5,189 fans watched the A’s lose.