Early lead overpowered by champs
Anderson and bullpen both wobble in lopsided loss
HOUSTON — Oakland’s evening at Minute Maid Park started so well. The A’s were feeling good in the wake of two-run blasts by Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman, and the man on the mound was the team’s best pitcher in August.
And then the Astros reminded everyone that they are finally at full strength again and swatted Oakland around with conviction. Brett Anderson gave up five runs, and Lou Trivino and Emilio Pagan each surrendered a three-run homer in the eighth to turn a one-run game into a blowout, the Astros running away with it 11-4 to charge 2½ games ahead of the A’s in the AL West.
One of Oakland’s better tal-
ents during a 10-week run into contention has been coming back after dropping the first game of a series. Since June 16, the A’s are 8-1 in games following such losses.
“That’s the main mind-set here: Once something’s over, whether it’s a win or a tough loss, I think this clubhouse just drops it pretty quick,” said outfielder Nick Martini, whose two-base throwing error in the eighth contributed to the Astros’ late scoring burst. “You think about what happened for a little bit and then you let it go.”
With Khris Davis on after a walk, Semien crushed a 1-0 fastball from Gerrit Cole way out to left, 408 feet. The ball traveled over the signs above the Crawford Boxes and would have left the building were the upper level not enclosed. The next inning, Ramón Laureano led off with a double and stole third, and with one out, Chapman also went deep to left, depositing a 3-1 slider from Cole into the second row.
With Anderson spinning off terrific starts all month, Oakland looked to be in control. The Astros, though, have just welcomed back almost all of their injured players — second baseman Jose Altuve (last year’s AL MVP), shortstop Carlos Correa and outfielder George Springer — in the past week or two.
With one out in the third, No. 9 hitter Martin Maldonado got things started with a base hit off Anderson, and Springer doubled home Maldonado. Alex Bregman also doubled, sending home Springer, and Altuve followed suit, pushing across Bregman.
“I don’t know if I was tipping pitches with guys at second or something but they seemed to be laying off good pitches and on certain pitches,” Anderson said. “So I’ve got to look at video, re-evaluate that.”
With two outs, Marwin Gonzalez’s single scored Altuve. Gonzalez advanced to second on the throw, then scored when Tyler White singled off Anderson’s successor, Yusmeiro Petit.
“I feel bad because the offense came out and did their job and I should be able to preserve that lead somehow,” said Anderson, who gave up seven runs to Houston on May 7. “It’s unfortunate. I’ve had two real crappy outings and both times it’s against the team we’re chasing.”
Anderson, who said he didn’t have a good feel for his slider Monday, was working on an extra day of rest. He had allowed only two runs over his previous four starts.
After their early homers, the A’s didn’t do much against Cole, who allowed just a walk in the fourth and then a leadoff double to Chapman in the sixth. The A’s failed to capitalize with the potential tying run at second: Jed Lowrie popped up and Davis and Matt Olson struck out.
Martini, the A’s leadoff hitter, had a particularly rough night, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and the throwing error in the eighth inning that allowed Josh Reddick to reach third, kick-starting another big inning. “It took off more than I thought it was going to and I just ended up misplaying it,” Martini said of Reddick’s drive, which glanced off his glove. “It got loud, so I thought he was going to take second, then I turned and saw he wasn’t but I was already committed to the throw and it took off on me.”
Trivino walked Springer and Bregman homered to right, just clearing the wall. Melvin did not sound too concerned about Trivino’s outing, mentioning the misplay, the walk “and a hot hitter hitting a home run.”
Pagan replaced Trivino, with similar consequences. Pagan has allowed four homers over his past two appearances.
Martini is in a 2-for-16 slide, and with Dustin Fowler playing well at Triple-A Nashville, it’s possible Oakland would consider bringing up Fowler before Friday, given that he is batting near .400 since being sent down Aug. 1.
Laureano slammed his head into Bregman’s leg while stealing third, then slid awkwardly going after a double by Gonzalez in the eighth, appearing to almost hyperextend his left knee, but remained in the game.
The Astros have won six in a row and they’re 11-6 against Oakland this season. The A’s had won five of their previous seven games. Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser