Pro Sports

Matt Olson's homer backs Sean Manaea, A's beat Astros again

Posted September 10, 2020 7:00 am

By JANIE McCAULEY

Oakland Athletics' Matt Olson hits a two-run home run against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - The Oakland Athletics have long been a stellar second-half team. In a shortened season, they have dominated since Day 1.

Sean Manaea carried a perfect game into the sixth inning en route to winning his fourth straight start, Matt Olson hit a two-run homer and the Oakland Athletics beat the stumbling Houston Astros 3-1 on Thursday.

'œBig series,'ť Oakland's Mark Canha said. 'œWe came in here with the right mindset. It was very businesslike and we made it happen. Well-played series.'ť

The division-leading A's (27-15) moved 6 1/2 games ahead of second-place Houston in the AL West. The teams split Tuesday's doubleheader that was forced by an Aug. 30 postponement at Houston because of Oakland pitcher Daniel Mengden's positive coronavirus test result.

Oakland had four games postponed and is 5-3 since resuming play last Friday against the Padres. Houston (22-23), which won a majors-best 107 games last season and the past three AL West titles, lost for the eighth time in nine games.

'œIt's not easy. We're all frustrated," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. 'œBut these guys they never get down. They get down momentarily but then they bounce right back.'ť

The A's have their largest division lead since they were 6ˆ½ games up on Sept. 25, 2013.

Manaea (4-2) struck out four and didn't walk a batter over seven innings. The lefty has surged since going 0-2 over his initial five outings. He didn't allow a runner until Josh Reddick doubled leading off the sixth.

'œHow many rockets did we hit off of him? We hit some balls extremely hard off of him they just didn't find any holes,'ť Baker said. 'œWe actually hit the ball harder than they did. It didn't work.'ť

Chad Pinder provided insurance with an RBI single in the seventh as Oakland took four of five in the series. Liam Hendriks finished the 2-hour, 18-minute game for his 12th save.

MartÃn Maldonado grounded into a double play that scored Houston's lone run off Manaea in the sixth. Olson connected in the bottom half on another smoky, sunless day that had the strange sight of ballpark lights on in the afternoon. Ash fell on the field for a third straight game.

Astros right-hander JosÃ© Urquidy (0-1) didn't allow a runner until Marcus Semien's one-out walk in the fourth and didn't give up at hit until Canha's single in the fifth.

Urquidy allowed two runs and two hits over six innings in his second big league start.

Houston's George Springer had his season-best nine-game hitting streak snapped.

"Everything was going the other guys' way. Today was disheartening because we hit a lot of balls hard off Manaea," Houston's Josh Reddick said. 'œIt's been very heartbreaking but we have to keep moving forward.'ť

FIVE GAMES

This marked the 15th five-game series in Oakland history. The A's have never swept one but won four of the games in a five-game set for the fourth time and first since July 5-8, 1984, at Milwaukee.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: RHP Justin Verlander (strained forearm) threw a bullpen Wednesday in Houston. Baker was waiting to hear more details about the session and remains optimistic Verlander will return before season's end. The Astros have mapped out the pitcher's rehab schedule for the rest of September. 'œHe's supposed to be on the mound if everything goes well, no setbacks here, again pretty soon,'ť Baker said. 'œHopefully if everything goes well he could be back at the end of the month.'ť

Athletics: 3B Matt Chapman still wasn't ready to resume baseball activity as he had hoped. He is nursing right hip tendinitis that forced him out of Sunday's series finale against San Diego. ... LHP A.J. Puk, who hasn't pitched this year and is on the injured list with an inflamed pitching shoulder that required injections, will be re-examined in the coming days by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.

UP NEXT

Oakland RHP Mike Fiers (4-2, 4.93 ERA) pitches Friday at Texas. He has gone 3-1 with a 3.22 ERA over his last four starts and the A's are 6-2 in his outings. Oakland heads on the road with doubleheaders Saturday at Texas and Monday at Seattle.

Following an off day Friday, LHP Framber ValdÃ©z (3-3, 3.61) pitches for the Astros on Saturday in a two-game interleague stop at Dodger Stadium.

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Oakland Athletics' Matt Olson (28) is congratulated by Robbie Grossman, left, after hitting a two-run home run that scored Ramon Laureano against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Smoke and haze from wildfires hovers over Oakland Coliseum during the fourth inning of a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Oakland Athletics right fielder Mark Canha (20) makes the catch on Houston Astros' Alex Bregman's foul fly ball during the first inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien (10) throws out Houston Astros' Aledmys Diaz during the third inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Oakland Athletics' Sean Manaea (55) pitches against the Houston Astros during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Houston Astros right fielder Josh Reddick catches Oakland Athletics' Chad Pinder's flyout during the third inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Houston Astros' Josh Reddick scores against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Oakland Athletics' Sean Manaea pitches against the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Houston Astros' Jose Urquidy pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Baseball Content Providers MLB Pro Sports Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.