Youth served, Healy takes a big helping
HOUSTON — Oakland’s kids keep providing big moments and Tuesday at Minute Maid Park they took on the toughest task in the majors, particularly for the A’s.
Powered by Ryon Healy’s first career grand slam, Oakland staved off a late Astros rally and downed Houston 6-4. It was the A’s fourth win in a row overall but just the second time they have defeated the Astros in their past 16 meetings. Houston, which swept four games from the A’s in Oakland last week, entered the day with baseball’s best record.
“Special to start off a series like that with a win, especially in their yard,” Healy said.
Manager Bob Melvin said that he might have guessed Healy’s slam was his first. “He about broke my hand, I should have known,” Melvin said. “It feels like every magnitude homer for him, he gets a harder hand slap. He was fired up about it. He’s a passionate guy.”
“I tried to maintain my composure on the field, but once I got in the dugout there was a lot of emotion that needed to come out,” Healy said.
Healy, the A’s second-year corner infielder-designated hitter, has 18 homers in the team’s first 77 games. He’s been feeling rotten at the plate, despite 10 homers in June, Oakland’s most in that month since Mark McGwire hit 10 in 1997.
“Have you seen my at-bats the last week?” Healy said. “They are not pretty. I talked to my father today on the phone, and he had some words for me.”
What will Patrick Healy tell his son after the slam? “I guarantee you he’ll say, ‘Great swing, Bubba, that was awesome, but let’s work on the other three (at-bats), too,’ ” Healy said. “I can’t wait.”
Rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell contributed his second three-hit game since being called up Thursday; he’s 10for-18 since his recall. Oakland’s young players are improving the defense, too — and just as important, they’re changing the perception of the A’s defense. Earlier in the season, the Astros ran almost at will against Oakland, staging a major comeback April 15 at the Coliseum around steals (five of them) and taking extra bases. Tuesday, Maxwell threw out Jose Altuve on the Astros’ first stolen-base attempt of the game, in the first inning, and that was it — no more attempts.
And with Matt Joyce in left, Jaycob Brugman in center and Matt Olson in right Tuesday, Houston was a little less aggressive about advancing, twice holding up runners at third on two-out doubles, one by Evan Gattis in the first and the other by Jake Marisnick in the second.
Healy turned in a fine play, too, with a man on and one out in the fourth, going deep behind the third-base bag for a bouncer by Alex Bregman and firing to first for the out.
Starter Sean Manaea had to pitch out of trouble almost constantly, with Astros baserunners on in each of the innings he worked; Houston had men in scoring position in five of the six innings. Manaea had the knack for a strikeout or grounder when he needed one, particularly in the fifth when, with the bases loaded and no outs, he faced Gattis, 10 for his previous 28 against Oakland. Manaea fell behind Gattis 3-0 — then Gattis swung at ball four, hitting into a double play. A run scored, but Manaea quickly ended the inning by getting Brian McCann to ground out.
“It felt like a simulated game, like they just put two guys on base for him every inning,” Melvin said. “And he seemed to work his way out of it.”
The A’s first run came via Khris Davis’ ... legs? In the second inning, Davis walked, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch, putting him in position to score on Maxwell’s two-out single. In the sixth, Joyce and Jed Lowrie singled off Mike Fiers and with two outs, Yonder Alonso walked. James Hoyt took over to face Healy, who parked a 3-2 fastball into the seats in right. In the eighth, Oakland got another run on doubles by Lowrie and Davis.
In that April 15 game in which the Astros ran wild, Manaea also started and Oakland held a 5-0 lead going into the sixth but Houston scored 10 runs in the last four innings. Tuesday, with the A’s up 5-1 in the sixth, Houston got two-out singles from Bregman and Marisnick, and Melvin replaced Manaea with Ryan Madson, 1-7 with a 5.06 ERA in 32 appearances against the Astros. Madson struck out George Springer and in the seventh, he got Altuve to ground out and struck out Carlos Correa and Gattis.
Sean Doolittle provided a 1-2-3 eighth, throwing eight pitches, seven strikes. But Liam Hendriks didn’t retire a batter in the ninth and left after surrendering a three-run homer to George Springer. And Santiago Casilla allowed two hits before getting pinch-hitter Josh Reddick to pop up and McCann to hit into a double play.
“We’ve had that game before,” Melvin said. “We’ve gotten walked off quite a few times in the last few years . ... Thank goodness we had a little bit of a cushion. (Casilla) made a big pitch when he needed to.”