The Houston Astros Jose Abreau slides in front of the Astros dugout after hitting a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning off A’s pitcher Sammy Long. In the top of the ninth Abreau was beaned by A’s pitcher Garrett Acton for showboating running fast around the bases and sliding in front of the dugout. Acton was given a warning for hitting Abreau. (AP News photo)

Houston (31-21). 100 300 213. – 10. 13. 1

Oakland (10-45) 100 000 000. – 1. 6. 0

Time: 2:37

Attendance: 8,809

Sunday, May 28, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The Cleveland Spiders did not play on this day in 1899. Their record remained 7-23, 2.33.

The 1962 New York Mets also had May 28th off. They remained at 12-27, 3.08.

The 2023 Oakland Athletics, along with 8,809 paying spectators, came to the ball park at 10-44, ,185. The team made its way home alone at 10-45, .181. I wonder what the odds are in Las Vegas on the Nevada bound A’s having the worst won and lost record in the history of major league baseball, before and after the advent of what we call the modern era. The A’s aren’t in a pennant race their in a race with history.

After last night’s game the A’s announced that Luis Medina, a member of their rotation, would toe the rubber for them. They subsequently changed that to Ken Waldichuk, also a member of the rotation, but they noted that he’d be used as an opener.

Waldichuk usually is good for a few innings before falling apart, so it seemed like a good move at the time. That changed after he had thrown 11 pitches because, on the 12th, Yordán Alvarez connected on a 93.2 mph four seamer and sent it 409 feet deep and into the right field seats.

The Athletics quickly got that run back on a lead off homer by Ryan Noda off Astros starter, Cristián Javier, who was 5-1, 3.07 at the time. Noda’s blast went a foot further than Alvarez’s and also went to right. It was the A’s first baseman’s fifth round tripper of the year.

So the game was knotted at one after one inning of play, and that’s when Medina took the mound. He got out of each of his first two frames with a double play. The DP in the top of the third was particularly interesting. A walk to Jeremy Peña loaded the bases with one out. The fourth ball was called because of a clock violation by Medina. Then Alvarez hit a nubber in front of the plate that Medina, Langeliers, and Noda turned into a 1-2-3 twin killing.

He wasn’t able to pull that rabbit out of his cap in the fourth. After getting two quick outs, one on a fly to the left field warning track, Medina gave up a single to left by Julks and an infield single to Díaz. Jake Meyers then lowered the boom, a three run blast into the left field stairway to the left of the 367 foot sign. Once more, the A’s were seeing stars, and the Astros looked down on them, 4-1.

Houston still was leading 4-1 when Parker Mushinski relieved Javier at the start of the home sixth. Javier had gone five full innings and allowed four hits, one of which was Noda’s homer, which accounted for the only run scored against the righty. He walked three and struck out an equal number of Athletics. He threw 88 pitches, 46 of which were counted as strikes. He was the winning pitcher and now stands at 6-1, 2.97.

The A’s loaded the bases with two outs against Mushinski on a walk, a hit batter, and a pinch hit single by Aredmys Díaz, but they ended up stranding all three runners.

Back to back homers by McCormick and Altuve knocked Medina out of the box with one down in the seventh. His stint had been 5-1/3 innings long, and he’d allowed five runs, all earned, on seven hits, three of them out of the park, and three walks. He threw 86 pitches, 51 strikes. He also took the loss and now has a record of 0-4, 6.83. Sam Long replaced him and made short work of Peña and Alvarez to hold the Athletics’ deficit at 6-1.

It increased to 7-1 in the eighth when José Abreu finally got his first home run of the year, a drive just over the glove of a leaping Brown in left. Abreu sped around the bases and went into a slide in front of the Astros’ dugout, where he was greeted by most of his teammates as if it were 1988 and he were Kirk Gibson. A’s pitcher Garrett Acton in relief in top of the ninth was warned by home plate umpire Tony Randazzo for hitting Abreu in the shoulder in retaliation for the slide in front of the dugout.

Phil Maton pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth, allowing only a Texas League single to Nick Allen.

Acton, who did not fare well in yesterday’s debacle, didn’t do any better this afternoon. McCormick flew oout to deep right. Altuve reached first on a hard hit infield single. Peña and Alvarez hit back to back homers, Peña’s to center and Alvarez’s to right center.

The A’s came up in the bottom of the ninth trailing 10-1 and facing Rafael Montero. Laureano drew a lead off walk, and that was it.

Paul Blackburn will return from rehab tomorrow, Monday at 5:07. The Astros will let us know later who they’ll start.