AthleticsvsHouston Astros
ATH 7/HOU 6
Things to say
The Athletics beat the Astros 7-6 in Houston.
01
opener
Man, the A's stole one in Houston. Seven to six, came down to the last at-bat. Astros can't afford to be dropping these at home.
02
key player
The heart of the A's order carried them. A couple of hard-hit knocks with runners on, one left the yard. That was the ballgame right there.
03
hot take
Houston's below .500 and it's late August. I don't care about the name on the front of the jersey, that's not a playoff team.
04
deep cut
Astros skipper went to the pen too early again. Starter had good stuff and got yanked, bullpen let it get to a one-run game.
05
exit
One-run games are a coin flip anyway. Let's see if they can flip it back tomorrow.
The recap
The last-place Athletics walked into Daikin Park and stole one, 7-6, over an Astros club that's been treading water all summer. This was a slugfest where nobody's pen wanted to hold the door, and Houston never could shake a team 29 games under .500.
The turning point was Houston's inability to put ATH away late, letting a scrappy lineup keep clawing back. Getaway day, bad loss for a club still scratching for a playoff pulse at 65-66.