WINNING WAYS ENDED QUIETLY
A’s don’t make much noise against Astros following four-game sweep of Yankees
OAKLAND — Bring back the New York Yankees.
A day after completing a momentous four-game series sweep against the Bronx Bombers in front of big, supportive crowds, the A’s dropped a quiet 4-1 decision to the Houston Astros in front of an even quieter Coliseum crowd numbering a mere 10,482 on Monday.
It was the third smallest attendance count of the year for the A’s, a big comedown after topping the 30,000 mark for three straight days against New York. It was a comedown on the field, too, as the A’s managed just four hits against Houston starter Brad Peacock and three relievers and struck out 13 times in the process.
The Astros, who own baseball’s best record at 47-24, ran their record to 5-1 against Oakland in 2017 but had to work for it against rookie Daniel Gossett, who was making his second career start. Battered for six earned runs in 31⁄3 innings by Miami in his major-league debut, the 24-year-old right-hander had a superb rebound effort. He pitched shutout ball into fifth inning against high-powered Houston, and was one pitch from getting out of that inning unscathed.
But No. 9 hitter Jake Marisnick connected on a 2-2 pitch with a runner at third base and sent it sailing high and deep over the center field wall to give the Astros a 2-0 lead. It was the only blemish on Gossett’s night,
but ultimately a costly one. Gossett (0-2) wound up pitching 62⁄3 innings, allowing just six hits and those two runs while not walking a batter and striking out six. On most nights, especially the way the A’s have been smacking the ball of late, that should have netted him his first victory. But Gossett was nonetheless pleased with his muchimproved outing.
“A lot more focused,” said Gossett. “I realized that every pitch deserves every bit of focus I’ve got, and I was able to stay focused on every pitch throughout the game. It was a key learning point and I’m glad I learned it early, but it just goes to show you that one pitch can get away from you and it’s the one that hurts you.”
Even though the home run pitch was down the middle, it was down and wasn’t really that bad of a pitch. But Marisnick got every bit of it. That said, Gossett got a nice ovation when he came off the mound in the seventh.
“Awesome, unbelievable,” he said. “I know it wasn’t a huge crowd by any means, but it was more people than I’ve ever played in front of.”
Oakland could never get the bats going against Peacock, who was once A’s property but never actually pitched for them in the big leagues. Peacock (4-1) went 52⁄3 innings and allowed just four hits and one run while walking one and striking out eight.
The A’s had one big chance at a rally in the sixth. After Adam Rosales opened by striking out, Matt Joyce doubled to right, Chad Pinder walked and Jed Lowrie hit a shot into the right-center gap that figured to tie the score. Joyce scored easily, but Pinder was cut down at the plate when right fielder George Springer made a terrific cutoff on the ball and shortstop Carlos Correa made a brilliant relay throw.
Pinder was stunned he was out after watching Lowrie’s ball off the bat, looking as if it was headed for the gap.
“Right off the bat, you’re thinking score if it gets in the gap,” Pinder said. “Looking back at the play, (Springer) did a nice job cutting it off and obviously, it was a good relay. Solid play on their part, and there wasn’t much I could do there.”
Manager Bob Melvin had no problem with Steve Scarsone waving Pinder home. Scarsone was serving as third base coach for the first time following a coaching staff realignment due to bench coach Mark Kotsay’s announcement that he was taking a leave of absence.
“At that point in time, you’ve got to send him and take chance,” Melvin said. “We know Correa has a good arm, but we weren’t doing a whole lot and when you get an opportunity to potentially tie the game, we’ve got to send him.”
Houston padded its lead with Springer’s 20th home run of the year off A’s righthander John Axford, and Derek Fisher hit his second homer of the season off the A’s fourth pitcher, Josh Smith.
Kotsay is taking an n indefinite leave after his 11year-old daughter Sienna was accidentally struck in the right eye with a tennis ball at close range last week and is currently suffering from a partial loss of vision. Kotsay returned to his home in Rancho Santa Fe to be with his family and seek the opinions of specialists. He will remain away from the team as long as needed through this daughter’s recovery process, but hopes to return to the club at some point later in the season.
In Kotsay’s absence, general manager David Forst announced that third base coach Chip Hale will assume Kotsay’s bench coach duties and Scarsone, a traveling minor league instructor for the A’s, will coach third base.
Rookie third baseman n Matt Chapman was out of the lineup due to a left knee infection. The problem arose when Chapman’s knee swelled up following Sunday’ victory over the Yankees, and when the situation hadn’t improved Monday morning, he was examined by doctors and it was determined that he had incurred an infection.
Chapman was administered oral antibiotics in the hope that the situation can be cleared up quickly. He had no idea how he might have picked up the infection.