JP Sears combined with four relievers on a four-hitter, Brent Rooker continued his hot month of May with a two-run double and the Oakland Athletics finally got a win over the visiting Houston Astros, 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.
Sears (4-3), who held the Astros to one run in five innings in a 2-1 loss last week in Houston, allowed just an unearned run over six innings in the rematch. He limited the visitors to two hits with one walk, striking out one.
Houston’s only run came in the sixth and was gift-wrapped in the form of an inning-opening, two-base throwing error by A’s shortstop Max Schuemann. Two flyballs — the second a sacrifice fly to right by Kyle Tucker — brought home Mauricio Dubon with the run that got the Astros within 2-1.
Sears had pitched with a lead ever since the bottom of the first, when Abraham Toro singled on Spencer Arrighetti’s fourth pitch and took second on a walk to JJ Bleday.
Rooker, who entered the game with 19 RBIs in 21 games in May, then ripped his double into the left-field corner, sending both baserunners home.
The designated hitter’s hit was the only extra-base shot of the game.
The A’s countered Houston’s scoring in the sixth with one run of their own in the last of the inning after Seth Brown and Kyle McCann opened the inning with singles.
Arrighetti (2-5) was pulled at that point, after which Daz Cameron stroked a two-out single off Tayler Scott, scoring Brown and increasing the Oakland lead to 3-1.
Arrighetti was charged with three runs on five hits in his five-plus innings. He walked three and struck out seven.
Austin Adams, Lucas Erceg, Scott Alexander and Mason Miller retained the two-run advantage over the final three innings, allowing just two hits.
Miller needed 15 pitches to strike out the side in the ninth for his 10th save.
Brown had two singles for the A’s, who out-hit the Astros 6-4.
Dubon collected two hits for the Astros, who had beaten the A’s in their first five meetings of the season, including four in a row last week in Houston.
–Field Level Media