Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena, left, celebrates after hitting a two-run home run that also scored Jose Altuve (27) during the first inning against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat May 27, 2023 (AP News photo)

Houston (30-21).  200 000 040. –   6. 8. 0

Oakland (10-44).  010 000  020  –   3. 6. 1

Time: 2:41  

Attendance: 9,293

Saturday, May 27, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–This was a day off for the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, so they remained at 7-23, .233.

On this day in 1962, the not yet Amazin’ Mets lost both ends of a double header at Candlestick Park, , 7-1 and 6-5. Future Giant manager Roger Craig was the losing pitcher in the opener. The day ended with the Mets  at 12-27, 3.08.

On this day, May 27, 2023, the deracinated Oakland A’s fell to the Houston Astros, 6-3. The defeat left the Athletics at 10-44, .185. This promises to be a season of historic proportion.

Starting for the visitors was Framber Valdéz, who hurled a complete game shut out against the Athletics this past May 21. He showed up for work with record of 4-4, 2.45 for the ‘stros. He lasted six innings, in which he allowed  one run, earned, on five hits and three walks, striking out five.

His pitch count reached 95, 40 of which were balls. He left with a one run lead and garnered the win, giving him a season record of 5-4, 2.38.

The Athletics’ relievers performed well last night, so it made sense for A’s manager Mark Kotsay and crew to make this afternoon’s contest a bullpen game.  (Kotsay, by the way, wasn’t on the job for the game; Darren Bush was acting manager). They opened with Austin Pruitt. Pruitt would end up being the losing pitcher after giving up the first two runs of the contest in the top of the first inning. The A’s wound up losing 6-3 marking their first 54 loses to start a season an MLB record for a worst start since 1901.

It took him all of three pitches to fall behind,  2-0. José Altuve led off with a single to the gap  (an unintended homage to another of John Fisher’s holdings?) in right center field, and Jeremy Peña banged a hanging slider against the auxiliary scoreboard in left field for his seventh home run of the season.

.Hogan Harris, whom the A’s had just selected from  the PCL Las Vegas Aviators, optioning Adrián Martínez, who had done a good job last night, back to their AAA farm team, was the A’s choice for the second inning. An around the horn double play made up for the walk he issued to Martín Maldonado and allowed Harris to pitch a scoreless frame while facing only three batters.

Harris returned to the hill for the third. He was hit hard, but a marvelous stop and two hop throw across the diamond by Aledmys Diaz at third kept lead off batter Peña off the base paths, and Jordan Alvarez’s fly to deep left died on the warning track in the course of another one, two, three, frame.

That earned Harris another turn on the mound for the visitors’ fourth, in which he fanned all of the three Astros he faced. And so, already having thrown 44 pitches over three innings of shut out ball, Harris went on to pitch another three up, three down frame.  He continued working into the Houston sixth, when he finally gave up his first hit, a two out single to Alex Bregman that got action started in the Oakland bullpen.

When Trevor May relieved him to start the seventh, Harris had thrown 77 pitches (54 strikes)and allowed only one walk and one hit. He faced 16 batters over the course of five frames. Trevor May walked Chas McCormick and surrendered a hard hit infield single to Corey Julks but benefited from an inning ending round the horn twin killing to add another zero to the Astros’ ledger.

Meanwhile, The A’s cut the Houston lead in half in the bottom of the second after Ramón Laureano defied The Curse of the Lead Off Double, stole third, and scored on a line drive sac fly to left. They almost drew even in their half of the fifth, but The Curse of the Lead Off Double took its toll, and Shea Langeliers was stranded on third after Oakland had loaded the bases.

Garrett Acton gave up a lead off double to the much booed Jose Altuve to open the eighth. Peña followed with a resounding double off the State Farm sign in left center, and, for some unknown reason, Altuve stopped at third. Alvarez received an intentional pass, and Bregman cleared the bases with another double to left center that was it was Acton and the A’s.

The latter had to remain on the field, but the former left the mound for Richard Lovelady, who retired both hitters he faced but allowed a sacrifice fly to Jose Abreu that plated Bregman for a run that was charged to Garrett Acton, who tended to be corrupted by the Astros’ power. Houston finished their half of the frame leading, 6-1.

Phil Maton retired Oakland to a conga beat, one, two, three,  in seventh and then gave way to Bryan Abreu, who allowed a lead off double by the slumping Brent Rooker. Two outs later, the green and gold had loaded the bases on a walk to Seth Brown and 3-2 pitch plunking Díaz.

Dusty Baker yanked Abreu and brought in Héctor Neris. Langeliers singled Rooker and Brown home, both runs charged against Abreu, before retiring Tony Kemp on a grounder to second. The Curse of the Lead Off Double had been defeated, but Oakland still was on the short end losing by three runs.

Shintaro Fujinami pitched a perfect top of the ninth to give the A’s one last chance to come back.

Ryan Pressley, who got the save last night, did it again today. It was his tenth of the year.

Tomorrow, Sunday, at 1:07 the A’s will send Luis Medina (0-3, 6.45) against fellow right hander Cristián Javiere (5-1, 3.07) in an attempt to stop their losing streak at 10