League leaders end win streak
After the A’s swept the Yankees in a four-game series, they got an even tougher assignment: Division-leading Houston sauntered into the Coliseum with baseball’s best record.
The Astros dispatched the A’s 4-1 Monday night, powered by homers from Jake Marisnick, George Springer and Derek Fisher, their fifth win in six games against Oakland this season.
The A’s, who had been undefeated with new third baseman Matt Chapman in the lineup, were without Chapman on Monday. The rookie will miss at least a few days with a left knee infection that required antibiotics.
“Hopefully it’s nothing major and I’ll be back in there in a few days,” Chapman said.
Trainer Nick Paparesta said he has dealt with knee infections before and that one had required surgical intervention. It isn’t known how Chapman incurred the infection; he recalls sliding into a fence on a play at Triple-A Nashville two weeks ago but he also has made several diving plays since being
promoted Thursday and he’s slid into bases. “It’s just one of those freak things,” Chapman said.
Another prospect who came up last week, starter Daniel Gossett, fared much better in his second big-league outing than he had in his first. At Miami on Wednesday, Gossett allowed seven runs and didn’t make it out of the fourth. Monday, he gave up two runs in 62⁄3 innings, both scoring when Marisnick homered on a fastball down in the zone.
Gossett, whose curveball was much better Monday, said he was “a lot more focused.”
“Night and day,” he said, adding later, “I need to learn as much from this start as I did from the last start.”
He got a nice ovation from the 10,482 in attendance as he left after his first home appearance. “Awesome, unbelievable,” Gossett said. “I know it wasn’t a huge crowd by any means, but it’s more people than I’ve played in front of. “
A former A’s prospect kept the Oakland lineup in check much of the way: Brad Peacock gave up four hits, two walks and a run in 52⁄3 innings. Jed Lowrie ripped a double to right center to drive in Matt Joyce in the sixth, but Chad Pinder was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first on the same play.
Manager Bob Melvin had no issue with third-base coach Steve Scarsone waving in Pinder. “We weren’t doing a whole lot. When you get an opportunity to potentially tie the game, you’ve got to send him,” Melvin said.
Melvin went out after the play to discuss whether catcher Evan Gattis might have blocked the plate illegally, but “the throw took him there. There’s nothing the catcher could have done. It’s one thing if his body is there and he’s reaching, but the ball took him there.”
While Oakland’s recent feel-good vibes have revolved around its young players, one of the longest tenured A’s is the subject of trade speculation: Sonny Gray, who will start Tuesday against the Astros, probably will be dealt in the next six weeks, and one the most likely landing spots is ... Houston.
The A’s front office has had no qualms dealing within the division, especially with Houston, and Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow is in town for this series. Perhaps the only complication that might come with trading an ace to a division foe is that the teams might wait until after Oakland has faced Houston this week and next. There are numerous other clubs with interest, though, including one National League team that has toyed with the idea of using Gray as a closer.
Gray has heard plenty of trade rumors in the past and said Monday, “It’s kind of the same stuff that’s been said for a long time now. You take all of it with a grain of salt because in the grand scheme of things, who knows what anyone’s really thinking?”
The A’s success against New York to open the homestand brought up strong memories of another up-and-coming Oakland team putting it all together five years ago in a July 2012 four-game sweep of the Yankees at the Coliseum.
“There are some similarities there for sure,” said reliever Sean Doolittle, the only player remaining from that club. “It was a huge confidence boost for us. It let us know we weren’t just on a hot streak but were capable of beating one of the best teams in the league.
“I think this last series, there are so many good things to take from it. Momentum is a weird thing in baseball, but it definitely gives us confidence going forward. We had a lot of contributions up and down the lineup, throughout the roster, the whole bullpen.”