Four run eighth does in Giants 5-2; Phil’s Hoskins a one man wrecking crew with a two runs and two hits

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) delivering in the first inning, during a MLB game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. Valerie Shoaps/CSM (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-One could imagine if Madison Bumgarner did not injured and missed the two months that he missed due to his shoulder injury, where would the San Francisco Giants be in the National League West.

Unfortunately, the lead that Bumgarner left with disappeared, as the Philadelphia Phillies scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning on their way to a 5-2 victory over the Giants before a crowd of 39,921 at AT&T Park.

With the loss, the Giants are the first team to be officially eliminated from the division race.

The Phillies got five consecutive singles that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead, as all the runs and hits came off of Hunter Strickland.

Former Sacramento State star Rhys Hoskins started the rally with his first hit of the inning, then Maikel Franco, Jorge Alfaro, Nick Williams and Pedro Florimon each singled.

It was the Florimon single that eventually gave the Phillies the lead for good, as they were able to salvage a series split against the Giants.

The score could have been worse, but Gorkys Hernandez threw out Williams at the plate for the second out of the inning.

After falling behind by two runs, and with two outs, the Giants began to mount a rally, as Kelby Tomlinson singled, as did Jarrett Parker to bring Buster Posey up with two on and two out. Phillies reliever Hector Neris then nailed Posey in the ribs, and in a rare show of emotion, Posey began to jaw with Neris as he walked down the first base line.

Bumgarner went six innings, allowing one run on just two hits, while walking one and striking out seven.

In his seven starts since returning from the disabled list, Bumgarner is 3-2 during that stretch, with two no-decision against the Los Angeles Dodgers at July 30 and on Sunday.

Not only did Bumgarner pitch well, he also drove in a huge run as he singled in Ryder Jones, who doubled down the right field line with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Bumgarner’s battery mate, Buster Posey drove in the only other Giants run, as he singled in Kelby Tomlinson, who walked to lead-off the bottom of the fourth inning.

The Phillies took an 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, as Florimon doubled to left field to score Nick Williams, after he singled with two outs.

Florimon also came up with a big throw in the bottom of the second inning, as he threw out Posey at the plate on a Brandon Crawford single.

The Florimon throw was not the only big time defensive play by a left fielder in the game, as Jarrett Parker threw out Cameron Perkins trying to score the eventual tying run in the top of the seventh inning.

Hoskins put the finishing touches on the scoring, as he hit a solo home run off of Kyle Crick in the top of the ninth inning.

The Sacramento native is the first Phillies player in team history (since 1913) to hit five home runs in his first 11 games.

Hoskins went 5-for-13 with two home runs and four RBIs in the four-game series.

NOTES: Chris Stratton takes the mound on Monday night, as the Giants open up a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Zach Davies looks for his 15th win of the season, as he takes the ball in the opener for the Brewers.

With his two hits on the afternoon, Posey extended his hitting streak against the Phillies up to 22 games, the longest hitting streak against any team in his major-league career.

Cotton, Trienen pitch the A’s past the mistake-prone Astros

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Oakland Athletics’ Boog Powell (3) greets Marcus Semien (10) at home plate as the pair scored on throwing errors against the Houston Astros in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Richard Carson)

By Morris Phillips

Talk about a full day’s work. The A’s beat the AL West-leading Astros and had to confront a bunch of their demons in the process.

After dropping the first two games of the series, and 12 of 14 this season, and 35 of 52 over the last three seasons to the Astros, the A’s had seen enough. And that disgust showed in the A’s focused, determined effort on Sunday.

The two biggest issues–anemic offense and bullpen failures–against Houston got the most attention. The A’s got plenty of help with their offense by way of the Astros’ sloppy defensive play which contributed two runs in the first on a pair of throwing errors that allowed Marcus Semien to circle the bases with Boog Powell scoring ahead of him.

Emboldened by a 2-0 lead, starter Jharel Cotton posted his best outing since late June, pitching into the seventh inning, allowing just four hits and two runs. Only Marwin Gonzales’ solo shot in the seventh showed Cotton off his game, as he worked effectively primarily with his fastball and changeup.

All of the good fortune through seven innings gifted the A’s a 3-2 lead, which–from the Astros perspective–had the visitors right where they wanted them.

In the last three years, dating back to August 2014, the A’s have blown 15 saves in games against the Astros, far too much heartbreak for one team to inflict on another. No Oakland reliever has gone unscathed in that period, bringing us to Sunday, with Chris Hatcher and Blake Trienen getting their first significant roles versus the American League’s best team.

 

MLB Podcast with Daniel Dullum: MLB umpires stand together in support of Hernandez; Dodgers on pace to clear 01 M’s

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Home plate umpire Marty Foster checks his counter while wearing a white wrist band in solidarity with other umpires to protest the escalating verbal attacks against them during the first inning of a baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals in San Diego, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

On the MLB Podcast with Daniel:

1 MLB umpires wearing white wristbands against player abuse

2 Brewers beat Rockies in Denver, hanging in NL Wild Card race

3 Twins sneak back into AL Wild Card hunt with wins over D-Backs

4 Dodgers are ahead of the 2001 Mariners pace; Granderson already making his presence felt

5 Chris Sale of Red Sox reaches another strikeout milestone

6 Jack McKeon inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame

Daniel Dullum does the MLB Podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

 

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Takeaways from Raiders preseason home tilt with Rams

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Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — Halfway through the preseason, the Raiders are 0-2.

Cause for concern if you’re Raider Nation?

Not really, seeing that the first game of the regular season against the Titans in Nashville isn’t for another month and records don’t carry over from the preseason, but after watching the Raiders lose to the Rams 24-21 at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Saturday night, a few things jumped out at me in the press box relating to the Silver and Black:

Starting quarterback Derek Carr looks healthy, but starting left tackle Donald Penn’s absence looms large

Saturday night marked the first time that Carr was in uniform for the Silver and Black for a home game after sustaining a season-ending leg injury on Christmas Eve against the Indianapolis Colts last season.

Showing no signs of the injury that derailed the Raiders’ chances of winning their first playoff game since 2002, Carr completed 7-of-9 passes for 100 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in three drives for Oakland.

Carr found backup tight end Lee Smith for Oakland’s first score of the game with a 19-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter that gave Oakland an early 7-0 lead, then in the second quarter, Carr hooked up wide receiver Michael Crabtree on a 13-yard, catch-and-run touchdown that saw Crabtree absolutely abuse Rams cornerback Troy Hill with a ridiculous fake out move that left Hill on roller skates.

Fellow wide receiver Amari Cooper may had the highlight of the night when he jumped over two defenders to reel in a 31-yard pass from Carr in the second quarter.

Carr finished with a passer rating of 113.0, but had to move around in the pocket to avoid a bevy of Rams’ pass rushers coming from the left side of the offensive line to complete his passes. When you’re worth $125 million and play the most crucial position in football and the team will only go as far as you, your health is of the utmost concern and it was evident that the Raiders need their wall of an left tackle on the field if Carr is to remain healthy.

Penn has been a no-show during all of training camp in Napa due to wanting a new contract. The 11-year veteran is set to make $5.8 million in the final year of his deal and wants to be paid as a top-10 left tackle.

Some may point out that Penn could be replaced if he decides to stay away, which I don’t buy. Penn may have given up the sack that led to the end of Carr’s MVP-like 2016 season, but he is irreplaceable and the Raiders and Penn need to come to an agreement somewhere if they expect to be a Super Bowl team.

The defense can be leaky

Defensive end Khalil Mack recorded a sack in his first preseason action, but the rest of Raiders’ defense has some work to do.

Rams’ starting quarterback Jared Goff was razor sharp, completing 16-of-20 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown in leading Los Angeles to 17 points in his three drives of work. Goff looked more poised and confident in Year 2 than he did as a rookie last year and showed growth as an NFL quarterback by keeping the Raiders defense on their heels with quick passes and tough runs by starting running back Todd Gurley.

But the real guy that was hurting the Raiders was Rams’ rookie wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

Kupp was a matchup problem for Oakland, especially working in the slot and it showed in catching six balls for 70 yards and a 23-yard touchdown where Goff found Kupp 10-yards ahead of the closest Raider defender. There’s no question that Goff will look for Kupp early and often in games during the regular season.

There were times where you saw Raider defensive backs looked out of position, most notably on the Rams’ final drive of the game and backup quarterback Sean Mannion dropped a 20-yard dime for a touchdown to another promising Rams rookie, wide receiver Josh Reynolds, for the game-winning score leaving reserve cornerback Chris Humes confused.

Mannion finished 15-of-22 for 132 yards after taking over for Goff at halftime.

The battle for the No. 2 quarterback continues, but Cook could have inside track at job

One week, fifth-year quarterback EJ Manuel appeared to be in the driver’s seat to be the No. 2 guy behind Carr after completing 10-of-12 passes for 107 yards and posting a 103.8 passer rating against the Cardinals, Manuel didn’t look near as good against the Rams in front of Raider Nation.

Manuel took over for Carr and was just 3-of-9 for 16 yards with a passer rating of 42.4 in two drives.

Connor Cook may have actually helped his case at being the primary backup behind Carr with his night.

The second-year signal-caller from Michigan State finished the game completing 9-of-15 passes for 81 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown dart to backup wide receiver Johnny Holton to give Oakland a 21-17 lead late in the fourth quarter. Cook completed his final six-straight passes on the 11-play, 65-yard drive for the Silver and Black.

After posting a meager 58.0 passer rating in Arizona, Cook finished with a passer rating of 97.4 against Los Angeles.

Both teams will be in action again next Saturday, Aug. 26 for preseason football, with the Raiders traveling to Dallas, and Los Angeles hosting their in-city rival, the Chargers.

Lynch sits again, Carr puts right arm around Mack during National Anthem

Prior to the start of the game, Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch sat down during the National Anthem. Lynch also sat during the National Anthem in Arizona last weekend.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr put his right arm on the shoulder of defensive end Khalil Mack during the National Anthem.

Recently, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett (who sat during the National Anthem during Seattle’s 48-17 win over the Chargers last Sunday), called for white football players to join the anthem protest to help change and improve race relations and the general treatment of other human beings.

 

 

 

Last place clubs put on a show in Phillies 12-9 win over the Giants

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AP17232172714108
San Francisco Giants’ Pablo Sandoval scores as Philadelphia Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp stands by during the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Mathew Sumner)

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–All the neat stuff that last place clubs rarely get to do, the Giants and Phillies got to do to each other on Saturday night.

A pinch-hit grand slam, a leadoff inside-the-park home run, a seven-run rally for the winners, and a oh-so-close, five-run rally in the ninth for the losers highlighted the Phillies 12-9 win over the Giants. The fans got into it, appreciating the Giants’ effort in narrowing a 12-4 deficit, and getting the tying run to the plate with the game’s last batter.

Small victories for struggling clubs, no doubt, but enough to, briefly, make the home fans forget that the Giants fell a staggering, 39 games behind the first place Dodgers with the loss.

“You love the fight,” manager Bruce Bochy said of his club. “And you hate to score nine runs and not win the ballgame.”

What was a well-played and competitive game through five innings, relinquished all of that when the Phillies got a pinch-hit, grand slam from Ty Kelly to cap their seven-run sixth. Kelly, from Tracy, got a nice ovation from his friends and family in attendance after lofting a Cody Gearrin pitch into the right field arcade.

“If you make a mistake like they did tonight, he doesn’t try to overpower, he just tries to put the head on it and that’s what he did tonight,” Phillies’ manager Pete Mackanin said of Kelly.

Kelly pinch-hit for Adam Morgan, who threw one pitch and win the game. Jerad Eickhoff started for the Phillies and endured a rough outing. Mackanin pulled Eickhoff with a runner aboard in the fifth, but Morgan retired Brandon Crawford to quell the threat.

 

 

Oakland Raiders Saturday game wrap: Mannion leads Rams to late victory 24-21

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Sean Mannion (14) passes against the Oakland Raiders during the second half of an NFL preseason football game in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-What a difference from the last time that Derek Carr was playing on the grass at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

The last time Carr was on the field at the Coliseum, he was writhing in pain after suffering a broken leg in the home finale against the Indianapolis Colts.

Even though it is the preseason, the fairy tale did not have a happy ending, as Sean Mannion found Josh Reynolds for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 1:11 remaining in the game and the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Oakland Raiders 24-21 before a paid crowd of 53,659 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Following the Rams touchdown to retake the lead from the Raiders, Connor Cook began to drive the Raiders down the field; however, the drive stalled, as Cook was sacked for a seven-yard loss on fourth-and-10 with 27 seconds to secure the victory for the Rams.

Carr played the entire first quarter and most of the second quarter, as he went 7-for-9 for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

Just 1:41 after the Rams took a 7-0 lead on their initial drive of the game, when Jared Goff found Cooper Kupp for a 23-yard touchdown pass, Carr tied up the game, as he hooked up with Lee Smith for a 19-yard touchdown pass.

After the Rams retook the lead on a Todd Gurley two-yard touchdown run, Carr found Michael Crabtree for a 13-yard touchdown pass that saw Crabtree juke his defender to get into the end zone.

Goff went 16-for-20 for 160 yards and a touchdown in his first action back in the East Bay since playing for CAL under former head coach Sonny Dykes.

Greg Zuerlein gave the Rams a three-point lead with 2:49 remaining in the first half, as he finished off a 16 play 58-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock after a 35-yard field goal.

The Zuerlein would be the last points scored by either team until Cook found Johnny Holton for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 6:30 remaining in the game to give the Raiders their only lead of the game.

Mannion and the Rams drove right down and scored the eventual game-winning touchdown, as Mannion found Reynolds in the corner of the end zone to give the Rams the victory.

Marshawn Lynch made his Raiders debut, as he carried the ball twice for 10 yards.

Lynch got the ball on the Raiders first play following the Kupp touchdown reception, and then again after a Carr completion to Jared Cook, Lynch gained four yards.

NOTES: With just two preseason games remaining, the Raiders return to the road next week, as they face the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium

This will be the first of two meetings between the teams this year, as the Cowboys trek to the Coliseum for a regular season matchup on December 17.

San Jose Earthquakes Saturday game wrap: Penalty kick by Wondo gets San Jose a 2-2 draw over Philadelphia

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sjearthquakes.com photo: Quakes forward Chris Wondolowski (8) is the only player on the team who has played in all of the Earthquakes’ nine matchups against the Union. The Danville-native leads the Quakes with three goals and two assists against Philadelphia from those nine appearances

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–When you are fighting for a playoff berth you will take any points that you can get. The San Jose Earthquakes salvaged a point with a 2-2 draw against the Philadelphia Union thanks to a penalty kick with one minute left in stoppage time by forward Chris Wondolowski at Avaya Stadium.

Wondo’s heroics wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for midfielder Shae Salinas making like a runaway bull as he stormed into the box eluding defenders before being tackled before his crossing attempt that resulted in the penalty.

The Quakes got off to a quick start like they had wanted as Valeri “Vako” Qazaishvlli opened the game with his second goal of the season in the 3rd minute after dribbling around three Union defenders and shooting the ball past Union goalkeeper John McCarthy.

Vako, who was picked up by the Quakes just two months ago, made the most of his first start with his new team as he could have had a hat trick in the first half if it weren’t for a point blank save by McCarthy in the 37th minute and a shot that just sailed wide of the goal in the 30th minute.

The Union got on the board in the 35th minute to tie the game when defender Jack Elliot scored his first goal of the season off a set piece where the ball danced around in the box and Elliot pounced on the loose ball and put it in the upper right corner of the net.

They would take the lead in the 55th minute of the game when after another set piece Union midfielder Roland Alberg was left alone on the left side of the goal and easily put in his 5th goal of the season into the left corner of the net.

“It’s about mentality as it about anything else”, Quakes Head Coach Chris Leitch said about his team needing to be better on defensively set pieces. “Taking some pride and making sure your guy doesn’t get up front.”

With the tie, coupled with Vancouver’s 2-1 win over Houston, the Quakes now find themselves 1 point out of a playoff spot as the drop to 7th in the Western Conference with nine games remaining.

NOTES:

-Wondolowski’s 10th goal of the season was his 8th consecutive MLS season with double digit goals. His all-time career goals of 131 puts him just 14 shy of the MLS all-time mark which is held by Landon Donovan with 145.

-The game got chippy in the second half as there were 4 yellow cards called. Two each by both teams.

Not as rare as an eclipse but rare enough: Two Philadelphia pro teams played in the Bay Area on Saturday night of course the Union were in San Jose playing the Quakes and the MLB Philadelphia Phillies were in San Francisco playing at AT&T Park against the Giants all on the same night.

-Next up for the Quakes: Wednesday August 23rd at Real St. Lake.

Marko is a talk show host at 1170 KLOK San Jose

 

 

 

Turnovers wreck 49ers 33-14; Hoyer throws for 89 yards but confusion on offense costs team

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer (2) hands off to running back Carlos Hyde during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron)

By Jeremy Harness

SANTA CLARA – Granted, this is the preseason. But still, Saturday night’s game at Levi’s Stadium left a lot to be desired. And on offense, it left little hope, if any at all.

The 49ers wasted a very nice defensive effort from the starting unit by turning the ball over five times and generating next to no offense in a 33-14 loss to the Denver Broncos in their second exhibition game.

The 49ers defense forced a punt on the first series, but a huge mistake on special teams shifted the momentum of the game dramatically, when backup safety Jaquiski Tartt was found to have touched the ball with his calf while covering a punt.

Denver’s Will Parks then recovered at the 49ers’ 11-yard line. Two plays later, cornerback Rashard Robinson was flagged for pass interference in the end zone, placing the ball at the 49ers’ 1. C.J Anderson plowed through two 49er defenders across the goal line three plays after that to give Denver a 7-0 lead.

Starting quarterback Brian Hoyer completed eight of his 11 passes for 89 yards, but he had a rather-forgettable night, particularly due to one play.

Late in the first quarter, Hoyer had the ball slide right out of his hand as he took his arm back to throw, and defensive end Shelby Harris scooped up the loose ball for the Broncos, killing a drive filled with potential.

“It’s literally the worst feeling I’ve ever had as a quarterback,” Hoyer said. “I went to throw it hard, and all of a sudden, I don’t know where the ball is.”

Early in the second quarter, Hoyer found Marquise Goodwin over the middle but ended up with an interception when Chris Lewis-Harris snatched the ball away from Goodwin as he was going to the ground while still gathering in the throw.

On the positive side, the first-team defense, which played much of the first half, fared pretty well against one of the better teams in the NFL, giving up only 148 total yards in that timeframe.

Robinson, the rookie corner whom the 49ers are expecting to cover the opposition’s best receiver this season, had a nice overall showing after being burned multiple times in Kansas City.

Although he was flagged for pass interference in the first quarter, he did fairly well in covering All-Pro receiver Demaryius Thomas, giving up only a 4-yard catch and making a fine open-field tackle on a third-down screen pass in the second quarter to force a field-goal attempt.

Tartt, meanwhile, atoned for his early special-teams miscue with a big third-down sack late in the second quarter that forced Denver to kick another field goal.

The 49ers got on the board on its first possession of the second half, when tight end George Kittle caught a screen pass and broke two tackles along the sideline, tight-roping his way into the end zone to cut Denver’s lead to 20-7.

If there is a glimmer of hope on the offensive side, it was that rookie quarterback C.J Beathard had a solid outing. Playing in the second half, he hit on seven of his 12 throws for 110 yards and the touchdown, backing up the strong performance he had against the Chiefs.

Rookie receiver Victor Bolden got a chance to show off his speed late in the fourth quarter, as he took a kickoff and out-ran the Broncos en route to a 104-yard touchdown return. In all, Bolden returned six kicks for 184 yards on Saturday.

Indepth with the A’s with Jeremiah Salmonson: Graveman strong but Astros fourth inning offense takes series win

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Houston Astros pitcher Collin McHugh, left, watches as Oakland Athletics’ Jed Lowrie returns to the dugout after McHugh caught Khris Davis’ line drive and threw to first outing Lowrie for an unassisted double play in the fourth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Richard Carson)

By Jeremiah K Salmonson

Despite a strong effort from A’s starting pitcher Kendall Graveman in the second game of a three game series, the A’s fell to the AL West leading Astros in a shutout 3-0. Graveman, who since the All-Star break was 1-1 with a 7.53, turned in a nice effort in the loss. He threw six innings of two run ball (earned runs) while working in and out of trouble most innings.

Astros starting pitcher Colin McHugh was not without stressful innings himself. McHugh gave up six hits and a walk in his six innings of work; However, the difference was the defensive prowess for Houston. In the end the Astros would end up turning a dazzling six double plays. Each double play could not have come at a better time for the Astros starter as he did not allow a run to the A’s. The bullpen for the Astros came in and shut the door on the A’s without giving up a run. Francisco Liriano, Joe Musgrove, and Tyler Clippard threw scoreless innings in the 7th-9th respectively. The A’s bullpen came in and did a nice job only giving up a home run to Alex Bregman. Daniel Coulombe got an out and Ryan Dull threw the final 1 2/3rds innings.

The offense consisted of a two-run single from MarwinGonzales in the bottom of the 4th. Alex Bregman also homered for Houston in the 8th against Ryan Dull the only blemish for the A’s bullpen. The A’s were able to scratch six hits against McHugh with Marcus Semien notably going 2-4 raising his average to .254. The other four hits belonged to Lowrie (1), Healy (1), Olson (1), Powell (1).

The Astros solidified a winning series against the A’s with the final game of the series on Sunday. The starters on tap for Sunday are Brad Peacock (10-1 3.30 ERA) for the Astros and Jharel Cotton (5-10 5.83 ERA) for the A’s. For Saturdays game Colin McHugh (Astros) improves to 1-2 with a 4.01 ERA and Kendall Graveman (A’s) falls to 3-4 with a 4.54 ERA.

Oakland A’s News and Analysis with Pearl Lo: A’s two walks too many

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~  (AP Photo/Richard Carson)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ The number two affected Oakland in more ways than one against the Houston Astros Saturday, in a 3-0 loss.

Marwin Gonzalez became the hero when on a 3-0 pitch, he hit a two-run single with the bases loaded.

Starting pitchers Collin McHugh (The Astros, 1-2) and Kendall Graveman (3-4) almost pitched identically, going six innings with six strikeouts and giving up six hits. They only had a two walk difference, which equated to the two run score differential until the eighth inning.

Houston surpassed their season-high five double plays, turning four of them in the final four innings.

Both teams had their best chance in consecutive half-innings.

In the top of the fourth, A’s former Astro Jed Lowrie had a leadoff single and after a line out double play, Oakland had two more singles. Matt Chapman recorded the final out though on a flyout.

Next is when Houston responded by loading the bases.  Jose Atulve led off with a walk and stole second before Josh Reddick also walked. Yuli Gurriel then singled to load the bases.

McHugh followed with a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fifth.

With one out in the first half-inning, the A’s Marcus Semien had the game’s first and extra base hit with a double. He was then tagged out on a fielder’s choice.

The Astros threatened in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff infield single and a walk. Atulve grounded into a double play though.

In the bottom of the fifth, Houston’s Alex Bregman hit a double but was thrown out at home plate. The call was upheld after review.  

Bregman got his run with a home run in the bottom of the eighth. That same inning Atulve almost became the sole AL stolen bases leader, but upon review, it was overturned.

From inning six to inning nine, Oakland got at least one man on base, but their progress was cut short with the Astros’ turning of double plays. The final one came when Ryon Healy was called safe at first. It was challenged and overturned, a call finally going Houston’s way, but unfortunately for the A’s, this time resulting in a game-ending double play. Tyler Clippard earned his first save for the Astros.

Game notes: Atulve now is in a tie for the AL stolen bases lead with 28. Graveman had two 1-2-3 innings. McHugh, who got his first win and faced the A’s for the first time this season, continued his success versus them. The teams will wrap this series up 11:10am Sunday.