San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
A’s catch Astros in AL West
World Series champs lose again, relinquish sole possession of division.
OAKLAND, Calif. — The feat required 66 days, an inundation of injuries to household names and the emergence of baseball’s most astonishing team.
In the interim, the Astros chose not to hit consistently. A galvanizing trade for an embattled closer invited unwelcome attention from around the country. Concurrently, they waited for so much “discomfort” to disappear and the crux of a once-mighty offense to leave the disabled list.
“We’re just kind of banged up and going through the motions, it looks like,” starter Dallas Keuchel said Saturday afternoon inside a silent clubhouse. “Now we’re tied atop the division.”
After Oakland administered a 7-1 beating Saturday, the Astros slept without sole possession of first place in the American League West for the first time since June 14.
Sixty-six days ago, when the Astros last encountered this dilemma, it felt insignificant. Assigning ample import to a half-game deficit in early June was unwise.
Perhaps a similar narrative exists here. Thirty-nine games remain. A win in Sunday’s series finale, started by Justin Verlander, regains the division lead lost Saturday — when the pitching staff allowed eight doubles. It matched the A’s most in a single game.
“One hundred sixty-two games is a long time. There’s no panic in us,” Keuchel said. “We’re not a full team, we’re kind of scraping by, but we’re going to have to play a little bit more consistent if we want to win this division. There’s a sense of urgency, but no panic.”
Little hope can be harnessed or belief generated from their recent play. Saturday’s embar- rassment was the Astros’ eighth loss in nine games, but the first where liveliness was indiscernible.
“We’ll be fine,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We’ve got to create our own source of energy, our own aggression, our own mojo, and we will.”
Saturday, the Astros managed three baserunners. None touched third base until the ninth inning. Tony Kemp swatted a meaningless solo home run that spared an offense from further embarrassment. Six of the Astros’ last nine losses, including this one, have featured three or fewer runs.
In nine innings Saturday, the Astros put two balls in play with an exit velocity greater than 100 mph, according to Statcast. They produced two hits. One was Yuli Gurriel’s second-inning infield single.
A’s starter Trevor Cahill allowed only one other baserunner. He twirled seven spotless innings to dominate a hapless lineup.