Not a sweep, but still a success against firstplace Houston
First place still was far in the distance, but at least it was in the conversation.
That was after the A’s beat the Astros three straight days at the Coliseum. A fourth win would have cut the margin to 51⁄2 games and put added pressure on divisionleading Houston, but no dice.
A threerun homer that Brett Anderson surrendered to Alex Bregman was the difference in the A’s 41 loss before 22,372 on Sunday.
“Fourgame sweeps are pretty tough, especially against a team like that,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “But when you take the first three, obviously, you’ve got momentum and want to take the fourth game.
“So we’re a little disappointed ... but come tomorrow, when you look at three out of four, it’s a plus, especially the way we’ve been playing against them.”
Houston starter Zack Greinke opened with three
perfect innings and exited after seven with a 41 lead, his only mistake a fullcount fastball that Marcus Semien crushed over the leftfield wall to begin the fourth.
Greinke gave up four hits, walked three, struck out six and got his 200th career win. It was his third start since he was acquired from the Diamondbacks on July 31. The Astros gave up four prospects to get him, and now have a rotation, including Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, second to none.
Any deficit would appear insurmountable against the Astros, their fivegame losing streak notwithstanding, but this is no time to ignore any challenge that’s at least partly feasible.
“Of course, I look at the standings every day just to see what’s going on around the league, with Houston, with the wild card,” Semien said. “There are a lot of teams in it. If we do our part, that’s all we can control.
“We just played four against Houston. That’s how you cut the lead, when you play those guys.”
Anderson was in trouble most of the afternoon and exited in the sixth inning with a blister on the index finger of his left hand. Melvin said the blister probably isn’t bad enough to keep the pitcher out of his next scheduled start.
Anderson said it was an issue only in his final inning. He walked off the mound after getting charged with four runs on seven hits and four walks.
“It’s tough,” Anderson said, “especially when you’re try to sweep this team. They’re a tremendous team.”
Instead of a fourgame sweep, the A’s were forced to accept winning three of four and cutting the Astros’ lead in the American League West from 91⁄2 games to 71⁄2.
The A’s faced Verlander on Friday, homered twice off him and won 32 in 13 innings. They missed Cole (hamstring soreness) but could see him when the teams meet again, Sept. 912 in Houston.
Anderson put himself in a firstinning hole when fielding a ball hit by Jose Altuve and throwing it away at first base. A walk to Michael Brantley brought up Bregman, who smoked a single to right field.
Chad Pinder’s throw to catcher Josh Phegley retired Altuve, and Anderson struck out Yordan Alvarez to end the inning.
Anderson put runners aboard every inning including the fifth, when Josh Reddick and George Springer singled. Two outs later, Anderson got ahead of Bregman 02, but an 84mph slider wound up clearing the leftfield wall for a threerun homer.
Anderson’s mission was to keep the pitch low, out of Bregman’s happy zone. He missed with his location, and the A’s missed with an opportunity to sweep.