Athletics Rally Past Astros 6-5 as Bullpen Battle Unravels in Sacramento
The short version
- Athletics defeated the Astros 6-5 in Sacramento; Houston fell to 79-81
- Astros' magic number remains at two with two games remaining
- A's scored six runs in the sixth inning, sending 10 batters to the plate
- Christian Walker hit his 28th homer; Cam Smith and Houston's eighth-inning rally cut the deficit to one
- Houston faces Jack Perkins (3-12, 5.90 ERA) on Saturday at 8:40 p.m. CDT
Houston's magic number stayed at two after a six-run Athletics sixth inning and a late comeback bid that fell one run short at Sutter Health Park.
The Athletics beat the Houston Astros 6-5 on Friday night at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California, in front of an announced crowd of 9,012. The loss dropped Houston to 79-81 on the season and left the club's magic number stuck at two with just two games remaining.
Astros starter Hunter Brown turned in an uneven outing, working around command trouble for much of the night. He issued four walks, including one in each of the first three innings, and also allowed a pair of hits while frequently missing his targets. Brown reached 100 pitches and left in the sixth inning with two runners on and one out, departing after a Jose Altuve error sabotaged a potential double play.
Reliever Bennett Sousa could not stop the damage. He faced three batters without recording an out, and the Athletics began to pile on. Michael Stefanic delivered a pinch-hit, two-run single to open the scoring, and Sacramento then strung together four consecutive hits at one point. Ten batters came to the plate in the frame as the Athletics scored six runs to break the game open. Brown was charged with two of the runs.
Houston's offense had shown earlier promise. Christian Walker hit an inside fastball an estimated 425 feet to left field in the fourth inning for a 1-0 lead. It was Walker's third home run of the current road trip and his 28th of the season. Cam Smith later added a home run, his first in roughly two weeks, to make the score 6-2.
The Astros mounted a rally in the top of the eighth inning against a struggling Athletics bullpen. Reliever Geoff Hartlieb loaded the bases on two walks and a single, with LaMonte Wade Jr. and Isaac Paredes drawing the free passes around a Yordan Alvarez hit. Luis Medina then relieved him and struggled as well.
Altuve brought home Wade on a sacrifice fly, his 47th RBI of the year, and Yainer Diaz singled home Alvarez for his 44th RBI. A wild pitch by Medina allowed Paredes to score, cutting the margin to 6-5, but Houston got no closer. Alvarez finished the night having drawn his 109th walk of the season.
The series continues Saturday night, with the Astros scheduled to face Athletics starter Jack Perkins, who enters with a 3-12 record and a 5.90 ERA. First pitch is set for 8:40 p.m. CDT.
Elsewhere around baseball, former Astro Justin Verlander is lined up to make the final start of his career on Saturday for the Detroit Tigers, the 557th time he will take a major league mound.
The Astros and Athletics meet again Saturday, September 26 at 9:40 PM EDT at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento. The game airs on MLB.TV, NBC Sports CA, and Space City Home Network.
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