Tag: Houston Astros

Oakland A’s Seth Brown wallops a three run home run in the top of the fifth off Houston Astros pitching at Minute Maid Field in Houston Sat Sep 17, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Houston Astros (95-51) had breezed their way through their series with the Oakland A’s (53-83) winning game one 5-2 and game two 5-0. Saturday the A’s turned the tables on Houston with a 8-5 win at Minute Maid Field.

The Astros got a great start in the first inning and it looked like they were on their way to a third win in this series. The A’s did get a run in the inning off a Sean Murphy single driving Jeff Kemp home for the 1-0 lead but Houston would answer big in that inning. Aledmys Diaz, Kyle Tucker and Trey Mancini all had home runs in the first, two solo and Tuckers with Bregman on base taking a 4-1 lead.

Going into the third inning Oakland turned things around in this game. A Vimael Machin sacrifice drove Kemp home for a 4-2 score. Chad Pinder homered in the fourth inning, a solo and Oakland trailed by a single run 4-3. Seth Brown gave the A’s the lead in the fifth inning with a home run and two runners on base to take a 6-4 lead. Nick Allen and Sean Murphy both scored.

Seth Brown struck again in the seventh inning with a double and Sean Murphy scored, the A’s now leading 7-4.

In the eighth inning the A’s ran into a little trouble when Yordan Alvarez homered. Houston has been tough in the late innings this season. With runners on base Oakland got out of the inning with minimal damage still leading 7-5.

Oakland got an insurance run in the ninth inning when Machin singled and Kemp scored, the A’s now leading 8-5. The A’s were three outs away from their first win in this series.

Seth Brown continues to excel at the plate and this game was no exception. “With this team you have to get every advantage that you can. Cole Irvin gave us a chance to get going too,” Brown said after the game.

While Oakland pitcher Cole Irvin had a rough first inning he was stingy from there on out. He went seven innings allowing seven hits and four runs. He dismissed 18 of 19 Houston players before leaving the game. He was lights out after that first inning.

In the final game of this series tomorrow first pitch is scheduled for 11:10. Oakland pitcher Ken Waldichuk (0-1) will try to even this series. His ERA right now is 5.40. The Astros will send Framber Valdez (15-5) to the mound with a 2.50 ERA.

Oakland A’s starter Adrian Martinez is frustrated after giving up a home run in the top of the fifth inning to the Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Fri Sep 16, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, the Oakland A’s (52-93) in their second game in Houston (95-50) lost in a shutout pitched by Astros starter none other than Justin Verlander who pitched five innings and didn’t give up a hit.

#2 The last time the A’s faced Verlander he beat them as well and pretty much dominated the A’s just like he did Friday night in the 5-0 win with a great mix of pitches the A’s line up simply just couldn’t figure him out.

#3 Verlander got bullpen support from Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, and Bryan Abreu who upheld the shutout that Verlander started.

#4 A’s starter Adrian Martinez pitched five innings and gave up four hits and four earned runs and didn’t get any run support in his start.

#5 The A’s and Astros battle again on Saturday night at Minute Maid Field in Houston for game 3 of this four game series. A’s starter Cole Irvin (8-11, 3.73) will go up against the Astros Jose Urquidy (13-6, 3.75) a 4:10 pm PDT first pitch.

Join Jeremiah for the A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez rounds the bases after hitting a bottom of the fifth home run off the Oakland A’s at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Fri Sep 16, 2022 (AP News photo)

Astros Dominate Oakland In Game Two 5-0

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Oakland A’s (52-93) took on the Houston Astros (95-50) in game two of their four game series. Last night the Astros topped the A’s 5-2. The game was tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the seventh inning.

Houston scored three runs in the seventh and that was the ball game. Aledmys Diaz homered driving in Jeremy Pena and Kyle Tucker added a single driving in Alex Bregman.

The Astros scored early in game two and after seven innings had a 5-0 lead. The Astros put together a home run derby with long balls in the first, third and the fifth innings. Yordan Alvarez had three home runs, one in the first, one in the third and one in the fifth.

Alvarez was the driving force for Houston in this game. Jeremy Pena also had a home run in the fifth inning. Yuli Gurriel scored a run in the sixth inning when Martin Maldonado singled. The Astros were working their way toward a shut-out.

Starting A’s pitcher Adrian Martinez went five innings allowing four hits and four home runs putting the A’s in a hole from the start of the game. Through seven innings Oakland could only come up with two hits. Justin Verlander had his 17th win of the season.

The A’s struck out 16 times in this game and could only manage three hits. It’s tough to win any game with offense that is struggling.

So the A’s will play Houston tomorrow in game three with first pitch at 5:10 pm PDT. Houston leads the American League with 95 wins and are constantly proving just why they are the best that the American League has to offer. Cole Irvin (8-11, 3.73) will take the mound for the A’s and Jose Urquidy (13-6, 3.75) will get the nod for Houston.

Houston Astros Aledmys Diaz gets a warm welcome from his teammates in the dugout after hitting a bottom of the seventh homerun against the Oakland A’s at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Thu Sep 15, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s met the Houston Astros Thursday night in Houston to start a four-game series. The A’s, buoyed by their dramatic 8-7 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, they hoped the magic would carry over to Thursday’s game. There were a couple of bright spots for the A’s, but the end result was a 5-2 loss. 

The A’s starter, James Kaprielian, pitched one of his better games. Kap gave the A’s a quality start. He went six innings and allowed five hits and two runs. He walked four, struck out four, and threw 105 pitches. The other bright spot was A’s catcher Sean Murphy.

Murphy had a double and triple in four trips to the plate. The A’s offense produced just three hits. Dermis Garcia had the other hit, which was a single. Garcia drove in both of Oakland’s runs.

Houston had Lance McCullers, Jr. on the mound to face the A’s. McCullers beat the A’s earlier in the season. McCullers hardly ever throws a fastball. He baffles hitters with an assortment of curves, sliders, changeups, and an occasional heater. McCullers went six innings and allowed two runs and two hits. He walked four and struck out 11. 

The Astros got on the board first in the bottom of the third. Kaprielian walked Chas McCormick to start the inning. Kaprielian retired Jeremy Pena and Aledmys Diaz. The next hitter, the very dangerous Yordan Alvarez, doubled to drive in McCormick with Houston’s first run. 

In the top of the fourth, the A’s rallied to put two runs on the board. Sean Murphy got things going with a double. Seth Brown walked to put men on at first and second with no out. Ramon Laureano hit into a fielder’s choice. Brown was out at second, and Murphy advanced to third.

McCullers walked Stephen Vogt to load the bases. Dermis Garcia, who homered in both games against the Rangers, smoked a single to left to drive in Murphy and Laureano. The A’s led 2-1 midway through the fourth.

The advantage didn’t last long as Houston plated their second run of the night in their half of the inning. With two out, back-to-back doubles by Trey Mancini and Christian Vasquez tied the game. Vasquez broke an 0-for-23 slump. 

The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh. A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Joel Payamps to pitch. With one out, Jeremy Pena singled. The next hitter Aledmys Diaz homered to make it a 4-2 game. Kotsay summoned lefty Sam Moll from the bullpen to face Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez greeted Moll with a single. Moll then hit Alex Bregman with a pitch to move Alvarez into scoring position. Moll’s task was to find a way to retire the left-handed hitting Kyle Tucker. Moll lost the battle as Tucker singled to drive in Alvarez with Houston’s fifth run. 

The Houston bullpen, the best in the American League, kept the A’s from scoring in the game’s last three innings. The only hit the A’s had was Sean Murphy’s triple in the eighth. Houston won the game 5-2.

Game Notes: The A’s are now 52-92. Houston improved to 94-50. The Astros have the best record in the American League. If they can finish with the best record in the league, they will have the home-field advantage for the playoffs. 

The line for Oakland was two runs, three hits, and no errors. Houston’s line was five runs, nine hits, and no errors. 

The A’s face the Astros again on Friday night. The A’s will send Adrian Martinez (4-4, 5.59) to the hill to face the potent Houston offense. Houston will counter with Justin Verlander. Verlander, who is 39 years old, is a candidate for the AL Cy Young award. Verland is 16-3 and has a 1.84 ERA. Verlander will be making his first start since coming off the 10-day IL. 

The game will start at 5:05 pm.

The time of the game was 3:16. More than 26,000 people were at Minute Maid Park to watch the Astros win their fifth straight game.

Oakland A’s hitter Tony Kemp takes a cut at Houston Astros pitching all for not as the Astros swept the A’s on Sun Aug 14, 2022 at Minute Maid Field in Houston (@Athletics photo)

Houston Sweeps Oakland 6-3

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Oakland A’s (41-74) took on the Houston Astros (75-41) in game three of their series. Oakland made it competitive in the first game of the series losing 7-5. In Game Two the Astros took control of this series and it continued on into the third game.

The A’s lost Game Two 8-0 and it did not get much better in Game Three on Sunday with a 6-3 loss. Nick Allen hit a homer in the eighth inning to at least get on the scoreboard.

The first inning was a replay of yesterday’s first inning. Alex Bregman homered and with Yordan Alvarez on base the Astros took a quick 2-0 lead. Jose Altuve hit a double in the second inning that drove in Christian Vasquez and Chas McCormick and the hits kept on coming for Houston now leading 4-0.

The Astros would continue to hit and continue to score in the sixth and seventh innings. Vasquez singled driving in Kyle Tucker in the sixth, and Bregman doubled in the seventh driving in Jeremy Pena extending the Houston lead to 6-0.

Oakland finally got on the scoreboard in the eighth inning when Nick Allen hit his second home run of the season a solo shot.

The A’s made some noise in the ninth inning. Bride grounded out and Elvis Andrus scored from third. There were some good at bats for the A’s but it was too little too late. We have seen this far too often. If Oakland wants to give themselves a chance to win games, they cannot was until the ninth inning to start hitting.

Right now the Astros are a runaway train and the A’s couldn’t even slow them down let along stop them. The depth of the Houston roster is a large part of their success. Their pitching has been outstanding and they really do look like the best team in the American League.

Cole Irvin went 6 innings allowing eight hits and five runs with a single strikeout.

The A’s will remain in Texas to take on the Texas Rangers on Monday for a four game series. James Kaprielian will be on the mound for the A’s 3-6 with a 4.38 ERA. Glenn Otto will be throwing for the Rangers 4-8 with a 5.20 ERA. First pitch will be at 5:05 PM PT.

Oakland A’s second baseman Nick Allen turns a double play retiring the sliding Chas McCormick at second base in the bottom of the sixth inning at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Sat Aug 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie the A’s took their seventh straight loss Saturday night in Houston 8-0. The last time the A’s have won a game was back on Thu Aug 4 in Anaheim when they gave up seven home runs a record and still beat the Angels 8-7.

#2 A’s starter Zach Logue pitched 5.1 innings, eight hits and six runs it’s pretty tough on Louge as A’s manager Mark Kotsay said Louge missed some locations as the Astros were just tough outs all game long.

#3 The Astros spread their runs out in duces scoring twice in the first, fourth, sixth and seventh innings. The Astros Alex Bergman didn’t waste anytime hitting hit 15th home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning help the Astros grab a 2-0 lead.

#4 Charlie, how surprised were you after some 305 days without pitching the last time in game 4 of the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox last season, Astros starter Lance McCullers threw a gem against the Oakland A’s going six innings, two hits, four walks, and five strikeouts.

#5 Charlie, you mentioned the fanbase getting turned off and after Frankie Montas was shipped off to New York and the team has fallen off in the middle of a seven game losing streak and just got wiped out on Saturday night in Houston 8-0. The A’s when they return to Oakland next Friday could find them having attendance around 3,000 or less.

#5 A’s and Astros close out this three game set the A’s need to win today to avoid getting swept. The A’s will be starting Cole Irvin (6-9, 2.92) he’ll be opposed by the Astros Cristian Javier (6-8. 3.18) first pitch 11:10 AM PDT.

Join Charlie O for the Oakland A’s podcasts every other Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Houston Astros starter Lance McCullers was in a groove all game long against the Oakland A’s here he is dealing in the top of the first inning at Minute Maid Field in Houston Fri Aug 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

Astros Pound Athletics 8-0

By Barbara Mason

The Oakland A’s (41-73) had some great success against the Houston Astros (74-41) in July but that came to a screeching halt Saturday in game two of their series. Friday night Oakland had opportunities in game one but fell short 7-5. In today’s game the Astros took command from the first inning and they did not look back with some great offense and great pitching in a 8-0 shutout win. It was the A’s seventh consecutive loss.

It was a combination of hitting, a brilliant pitching performance by Lance McCullers Jr. and some great defense by Houston that shut the A’s out. McCullers finished with six shutout innings in his season debut his first appearance since the four game of the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox in October of 2021.

In the first inning Alex Bregman homered with Yordan Alvarez on base and Houston had a 2-0 lead to start the game.

The Astros struck again in the fourth inning when Chas McCormick tripled driving in Trey Mancini and Jeremy Pena and Houston was off to the races 4-0.

Houston hit a couple of doubles in the sixth inning extending their lead 6-0. The Astros had their second triple of the game in the seventh inning, a blistering shot to deep right by Kyle Tucker driving in Yuli Gurriel and Yordan Alvarez.

It a tough loss for the A’s; their seventh in a row. They only had five hits in the game and not a single Oakland player made it to third base in the game, in fact, only two runners got to second. They hit into three double plays and it was Houston all day long.

A’s pitcher Zach Logue went 5.1 innings and pitched over 100 pitches. He allowed eight hits and six runs. It was a tough loss for the 26 year old but it a great learning experience for him. More often than not things get worse before they get better for these up and coming youngsters.

Tomorrow the A’s will try and avoid the sweep sending Cole Irvin to the mound. He is pitching well with a 2.92 ERA and is 6-9. The A’s will face Houston’s Cristian Javier. He has a 6-8 win loss record and a 3.14 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 11:10 AM PT.

The Oakland A’s Jonah Bride (right) is congratulated at the plate by teammate Nick Allen (left) after Skye Bolt hit a two RBI double in the top of the seventh inning at Minute Field on Fri Aug 12, 2022 (AP News photo)

Astros Top the Athletics 7-5

By Barbara Mason

Friday evening the Oakland A’s (41-72) took on the Houston Astros (73-41) at Minute Maid Park. After getting swept in their last two series, Oakland needed to get back on track. They have had some great success against the Astros in their last two series. In mid-July Oakland won the first of their two latest series and in their next series in late July the A’s swept the Astros.

The Astros have the best record in the American League so these wins at the hands of the Oakland A’s is curious indeed. Oakland has beaten the best yet got swept by the Los Angeles Angels. Call it what you want but this seems to be the 2022 curse of the Coliseum. Oakland has just been just awful at home this season and these two latest series were played at home.

After a quiet first inning the A’s were the first team up on the scoreboard. Jonah Bride hit a double that drove Vimael Machin home for the early 1-0 lead. The A’s got a second run in the third inning to extend their lead to 2-0 when Tony Kemp scored on a balk.

The Astros scored their first run of the game in the fifth inning. Yuli Gurriel singled driving in Jose Altuve. Adam Olle started to struggle and was replaced by Sam Moll. Oller had gone 4 2/3 innings. With two outs Moll had a tough situation loading the bases.

Disaster struck when Kyle Tucker hit a grand slam and Houston took a 5-2 lead .Houston had scored five runs with two outs in the inning. Austin Pruit came in to try and get the A’s out of the inning. Pruitt finally got out of the fifth inning but not before Jeremy Pena doubled driving in Aledmys Diaz giving the Astros a 6-2 lead.

In the seventh inning Oakland really got going. Pinch hitter Skye Bolt doubled driving Bride and Machin home. There would be a second pitching change for Houston trying to get out of this inning. Ramon Laureano singled driving in Bolt and Oakland trailed by a single run 6-5. Laureano would attempt to steal second and was thrown out. It was a great half inning for Oakland.

The Astros got an insurance run in the eighth inning. Pena would steal second and score when Mauricio Dubon sacrificed. With the score 7-5, going into the ninth inning, Oakland would have their last chance in this game.

For the A’s it would be a three up three down ninth inning and that was the ball game 7-5. Oakland was competitive in this game but it was that fifth inning that was the turning point. The A’s had 11 hits in the game.

The A’s will be looking to tie up this series tomorrow evening. Zach Logue will take the mound for the A’s with a 3-5 win loss record and an ERA of 4.79. Lance McCullers Jr will get the nod for the Astros with a 3.16 ERA. First pitch will be at 4:10 PM PT.