Astros athletics: Houston falls 6-5, stays tied for first
The Astros Athletics matchup on Friday ended 6-5 for the Athletics after a six-run sixth inning at Sutter Health Park, leaving Houston tied with the Rangers at 79-81. The result guarantees no AL West club will finish with a winning record. Houston can still clinch Saturday with a win and a Texas loss.
Key Takeaways
- The Athletics scored all six of their runs in the sixth inning to beat the Astros 6-5 in West Sacramento.
- Houston and Texas remain tied atop the AL West at 79-81, with the Astros holding the tiebreaker.
- Jose Altuve dropped a potential double-play throw that opened the floodgates; he called it a play he should have made.
- Jacob Lopez held Houston to one run over six innings; Henry Bolte and Michael Stefanic each drove in two.
- The Astros can clinch the division Saturday with a win over the A's and a Rangers loss at Minnesota.
What happened in the Astros Athletics sixth inning?
Houston starter Hunter Brown took a 1-0 lead into the sixth after Christian Walker's solo homer in the fourth. Jeff McNeil led off with a single, and Zack Gelof reached when shortstop Jeremy Peña's low throw to second was dropped by Jose Altuve for an error.
A sacrifice bunt moved the runners up. Manager Joe Espada pulled Brown after 5 1/3 innings and 100 pitches for lefty Bennett Sousa. Athletics manager Mark Kotsay pinch-hit Michael Stefanic for Carlos Cortes, and Stefanic delivered a two-run single.
Two more singles and Henry Bolte's two-run triple made it 5-1. Lawrence Butler's groundout scored Bolte for the sixth run of the frame, as reported by MLB.com.
Why does this AL West loss matter so much?
The defeat kept the Astros even with the Rangers at 79-81 and locked in a historic outcome: no American League West team will finish with a winning record. Houston still owns the head-to-head tiebreaker and controls its path if it wins out.
Altuve said the team must focus on Saturday's game. Espada said Houston came one swing from tying and taking the lead in the eighth before Cam Smith struck out against Luis Medina with runners at second and third.
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How did the Athletics hold on after Houston's late rally?
Cam Smith homered in the seventh to cut the deficit to 6-2. In the eighth, Yordan Alvarez singled home a run, Altuve added a sacrifice fly, and a wild pitch scored another, making it 6-5.
Hogan Harris closed it out in the ninth, walking one batter before inducing a game-ending double play for his 17th save. Lopez finished his season with six innings, two hits, one earned run, two walks, and four strikeouts after a rough prior outing.
The A's improved to 64-96 and evened the series. Jack Perkins is slated to start Saturday for the Athletics, while Houston had not announced its starter after the loss.
What do the Astros need to clinch now?
With two games left, Houston can clinch the AL West on Saturday by beating the Athletics while Texas loses to the Minnesota Twins. Altuve said if the Astros win their next two, they are in, and the clubhouse focus must stay on the next game only.
Brown wanted to stay in to work out of the jam, citing a bullpen that had thrown 20 innings over the prior three games. Espada stuck with the move to Sousa, a decision that backfired as right-handed hitters strung together hits.