Astros Blast Five Homers Past A's, AL West Race Goes to Final Day
The short version
- Final score: Astros 13, Athletics 2 at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.
- Houston remains tied with Texas atop the AL West and holds the tiebreaker.
- Astros clinch the division with a win Sunday, or if both they and the Rangers lose.
- Peña went 4-for-6 with two homers; Wesneski allowed two runs in seven innings.
- Peter Lambert is scheduled to start the finale on two days' rest.
Houston's 13-2 win over Sacramento's Athletics in West Sacramento keeps the club level with Texas, which the Astros can eliminate with a win in game 162.
Jeremy Peña homered twice and Yordan Alvarez added a three-run shot as the Houston Astros rolled past the Athletics 13-2 on Saturday at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California. The win kept Houston in a first-place tie with the Texas Rangers in the American League West with one game left in the regular season.
Houston holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas, which simplifies the Sunday math considerably. The Astros will clinch the division with a victory in game 162, no matter what the Rangers do against the Minnesota Twins. Houston would also take the crown if both clubs lose on the final day.
The Rangers' win Saturday went final before first pitch in West Sacramento, meaning the Astros needed a victory to avoid falling behind entering the finale. The result sets up a winner-focused scenario that starter Hayden Wesneski described in blunt terms.
"Simple as win and you're in, baby," Wesneski said after throwing seven innings. "That's it, don't make it too complicated."
Wesneski scattered two runs over seven innings on just 82 pitches, walking one and striking out eight to improve to 6-2. It was his third seven-inning start in 11 outings since returning from elbow surgery. Manager Joe Espada said the length was exactly what the club needed, allowing the bullpen to reset ahead of the finale.
That depth matters because Houston is expected to lean heavily on relievers Sunday. Peter Lambert, who threw 62 pitches on Thursday, is slated to start game 162 on two days' rest. Ronel Blanco covered the final two innings Saturday, preserving the rest of the relief corps.
Isaac Paredes and Peña homered off A's starter Jack Perkins within the first three innings to build a 3-0 lead. Alvarez broke the game open with a fifth-inning blast, also off Perkins, one of five Houston home runs on the night and part of a 16-hit attack.
Peña, Alvarez and Paredes combined for nine hits, eight runs scored and eight runs batted in, with Peña finishing 4-for-6 with a pair of two-run homers. Jose Altuve drove in two runs, as did Lucas Spence, who homered for the fourth time in the series.
"We're going to get some rest, we have an early one tomorrow, and yeah, all hands on deck," Peña said. Alvarez, speaking through an interpreter, added: "Tomorrow is do or die."
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