A’s feel Astros’ power in defeat

OAKLAND – Josh Reddick will take a three-hit game any time. This one meant just a little bit more to the Houston Astros outfielder, though.

“You always want to do well against your former team,” said Reddick, who played in Oakland for parts of five sea- sons. “I enjoy beating them regardless. Whether I got 0 for 4 or I go 4 for 4. So, it is fun.”

Reddick homered and scored four runs, Jake Marisnick and Marwin Gonzalez each went deep and the Astros beat the Athletics 12-9 on Thursday.

The major league-leading Astros completed a four-game sweep with their 10th straight victory in Oakland and their 15th win in 16 games against the A’s overall. They’ve won 12 of their last 14 road games. Their 27-8 record away from home is the best in the majors.

Reddick also doubled, tripled and drew a walk, and Marisnick and Gonzalez each drove in three runs.

Reddick didn’t get a shot at a single to complete the cycle after tripling in the

eighth inning.

“I think anybody would want to have a shot at it just to see,” Reddick said. “Once you get to that one, you want to see the boys bat around for you and get up there to get the opportunity to do it.

“I got asked a few times if I was going to stop if it was in the gap. I was, like, ‘Nah, I can’t do that.’ If it’s in the gap, I’m going two. I don’t have it in me to be that guy to get the personal goal.”

David Paulino (2-0) struck out six and gave up three runs, seven hits and two walks. The 23-year-old rookie right-hander struck out five of his first six batters in his sixth career start.

Braves 12, Giants 11 Lane Adams says he believes the baseball cliche that hitting is contagious.

In the Braves’ biggest inning in six years, the hot hitting spread all the way to his spot on the bench.

Adams delivered a pinch-hit, three-run homer in Atlanta’s eight-run fifth inning and the Braves held off San Francisco in the ninth to beat the Giants 12-11 in a rain-delayed game Thursday night.

It was the Braves’ most runs in an inning since they scored eight in the ninth at the Dodgers on April 19, 2011. Their nine hits in the inning were their most since April 7, 2004, when they had nine in the fourth against the Mets.

“When one guy gets going, the rest fall in line,” Adams said. “... It was a great inning.”

The big inning left Atlanta with a 12-6 lead. Braves manager Brian Snitker said the eightrun inning “was great” because “we needed them all.”

The homer was the first of Adams’ career.

The Braves won three of four in the series to cap San Francisco’s 1-7 road trip.

“You can look at the good things and the silver linings, but the bottom line is we lost seven games,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “That’s not a good trip.”