AthleticsvsHouston Astros
ATH 5/HOU 0
Things to say
Athletics beat the Astros 5-0 in Houston.
01
opener
Yeah, the A's took it 5-0 down in Houston. Astros bats were dead all night. Daikin Park was quiet by the seventh.
02
key player
Whoever the A's threw out there got into his stuff early — a shutout on the road against that lineup, that's not nothing.
03
hot take
Astros are 30-37 and it's not the pitching, it's the order. Heart of that lineup hasn't shown up in weeks.
04
deep cut
Five-zip and the A's are now over .500 against Houston this year. For a rebuild club, that's a story nobody's writing.
05
exit
Anyway — Astros better figure it out before this homestand's over, or they're staring down a real hole in the West.
The recap
The A's walked into Daikin Park and shut the Astros out 5-0, which is not how Houston drew up a getaway day at home. Five-zip means somebody on the Oakland staff had it working — starter probably went deep and the bullpen just held serve.
Houston's bats went quiet against the heart of the order, and now they're sitting at 30-37 while the A's quietly crawl back toward .500 at 31-34. Rough afternoon for a Houston club that keeps finding new ways to stub its toe.