The Houston Astros found another way to let one slip away at Daikin Park Saturday night—and in the process dropped below .500 at home for the season.
Houston carried a two-run lead into the eighth inning before the bullpen unraveled, allowing three runs in a 4-3 loss to the Athletics. The defeat dropped the Astros to 33-34 at Daikin Park and wasted a strong start from Hunter Brown.
Brown Gives Astros a Chance
Brown worked around traffic for much of his outing but limited the Athletics to one run over 5 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and three walks while striking out four.
The only damage against him came in the third inning when Donovan Walton hit a solo home run to give the Athletics a 1-0 lead.
Houston answered in the fourth. Christian Walker drew a one-out walk, and Yainer Diaz doubled to left with two outs to bring Walker home and tie the game.
Brown escaped several other threats with help from his defense. The Astros turned three double plays in the game, including two behind Brown.
Brown’s night ended in bizarre fashion. Espada jogged to the mound intending to encourage his starter to finish the inning, but inadvertently pointed toward the bullpen as he came out of the dugout. The umpiring crew interpreted the gesture as a signal for a pitching change, forcing Espada to remove Brown despite his intention to leave him in the game. AJ Blubaugh took over with two aboard and two outs and retired Jonah Heim to end the threat, then worked a perfect seventh with two strikeouts.
Varsho, Peña Put Houston Ahead
The Astros finally broke through against the Athletics bullpen in the seventh.
Daulton Varsho greeted reliever Luis Medina with a solo home run to left, his ninth of the season, putting Houston ahead 2-1.
Two outs later, LaMonte Wade Jr. doubled to center, and Jeremy Peña—back in the lineup after missing two games with a right hand contusion—singled him home for a 3-1 lead.
Peña’s return provided a boost, but it was an uneven night for the shortstop. He finished 1-for-4 with the RBI and struck out three times.
With six outs remaining, the Astros appeared to be in position to put the game away.
They didn’t.
Bullpen Lets It Get Away
Bennett Sousa took over in the eighth and immediately ran into trouble.
Jeff McNeil singled, Zack Gelof walked, and Alika Williams moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt. A wild pitch from Sousa brought McNeil home, cutting Houston’s lead to 3-2.
Lawrence Butler then singled to right, scoring Gelof and tying the game.
Bryan Abreu replaced Sousa with one out and Butler at first, but Tommy White doubled to put runners at second and third. Heim followed with a soft grounder to Peña, who was playing in with Butler breaking from third. Peña looked toward home and cocked his arm but ultimately elected to take the out at first, allowing Butler to score the go-ahead run. Peña said afterward that Butler had gotten such a good jump that he didn’t believe he had a play at the plate, although he acknowledged he perhaps should have taken the chance. Espada agreed it would have been close but said he would have preferred Peña to make the throw home.
Sousa was charged with all three runs while recording just one out.
Abreu kept the deficit at one and pitched a scoreless ninth, but the Astros offense had no answer.
Houston went down in order in both the eighth and ninth innings. Elvis Alvarado struck out Diaz and Cam Smith before Taylor Trammell flew out to end it.
The Astros finished with six hits and struck out 14 times while drawing only one walk. It marked the seventh time in their last 13 games that Houston has been held to six hits or fewer. Alvarez went 0-for-3 with a walk, while Altuve, Paredes, and Smith were all hitless.
Another Missed Opportunity at Home
The Astros had the lead. They had six outs to protect it. And with Texas losing, they had an opportunity to increase their lead in the division.
Instead, the Athletics scored three times in the eighth and handed Houston another loss at Daikin Park, dropping the Astros to 33-34 at home.
With opportunities like this becoming increasingly expensive to waste, the Astros wrap up the series and the homestand against the Athletics Sunday at 1:10 p.m. CT at Daikin Park. Neither team has officially announced a starter. Houston remains one game ahead of Texas in the AL West, while Seattle has crept to within three games of the division lead. With the Astros now 65-65 and just 32 games remaining, the race is getting increasingly uncomfortable.
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