WEST SACRAMENTO — The Houston Astros delivered the perfect response to Friday night’s embarrassing loss, hammering the Athletics 11-0 Saturday afternoon at Sutter Health Park behind a dominant pitching performance from Tatsuya Imai and an offensive explosion that left no doubt about the outcome.
Imai was everything the Astros hoped he could be in his second major league start, working 5⅔ scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out nine batters. The Japanese right-hander walked three but worked out of trouble each time, showing the poise and stuff that made him such a coveted international signing. The victory was Imai’s first in the major leagues, a welcome rebound after a rough debut against the Angels the previous week. Kai-Wei Teng and Steven Okert combined for 3⅓ perfect innings of relief to complete the shutout.
The Astros wasted no time erasing the memory of Friday’s debacle. Jeremy Peña doubled to lead off the bottom of the first, and Jose Altuve followed with an RBI single to put Houston ahead 1-0. Christian Walker added another run-scoring single later in the inning, and Walker launched his first home run of the season in the second inning to make it 3-0.
From there, it was a steady procession of runs. Christian Vázquez added an RBI double in the second and another in the fifth. Yainer Diaz drove in two with a single in the third. Joey Loperfido contributed an RBI ground-rule double in the third, and Peña led off the fifth with a line drive up the middle for the 600th hit of his career. Yordan Alvarez chipped in with an RBI single in the fifth. Cam Smith capped the scoring with a solo home run in the seventh, his second of the season.
Walker continued his torrid start to the season, going 2-for-3 with a walk and now owns six doubles and one home run through eight games. Peña looked comfortable playing his second straight game, doubling twice and scoring twice in his continued return from the finger injury. Vázquez had three hits and two RBI, bouncing back nicely after a rough start to the road trip.
The offensive outburst was a welcome sight for a team that managed just five hits the night before. Eleven runs on 18 hits against five different A’s pitchers showed the kind of depth and balance that made the Astros such a dangerous lineup during their championship years.
Houston improves to 6-3 on the season and evens the series at one game apiece heading into Sunday’s series finale. After Friday’s defensive miscues and pitching struggles, Saturday was a reminder of what this team can do when everything clicks.
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