Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
The Associated Press
Lawrence Butler hits one of the A’s five homers in an 8-2 win over the Astros
By MICHAEL WAGAMAN,
3 hours ago
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Lawrence Butler hit one of the Athletics’ five homers, fell a single short of the cycle and made a tremendous throw from right field to cut down a runner at the plate as Oakland beat the Houston Astros 8-2 on Tuesday night.
Brent Rooker, Seth Brown, Zack Gelof and Shea Langeliers also connected to help the A’s hand the AL West-leading Astros a second consecutive defeat.
Butler tripled and scored on Rooker’s two-run drive in the first inning, homered in the third and doubled in a run in the sixth. The longball was his eighth in July, and the A’s leadoff hitter leads the majors with 24 RBIs this month.
Needing a single to complete the A’s first cycle since 2007, Butler drew a five-pitch walk against Rafael Montero, raising a smattering of boos from the crowd of 5,896 at the Oakland Coliseum.
Victor Caratini and Jeremy Peña homered for the Astros.
Osvaldo Bido (2-1) struck out six in five innings in his second career start and first since May 8. Bido allowed four hits and one run.
The A’s, who entered the night tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the major league lead in double plays turned, added to that list when Butler caught a fly ball and made a no-hop throw to nail Alex Bregman, who tagged up and tried to score from third.
Butler rode that momentum into his first at-bat with a leadoff triple against Jake Bloss (0-1). Three batters later, Rooker crushed an 0-1 fastball into the left field stands.
Rooker’s homer was his team-leading 23rd. Brown and Gelof connected for back-to-back shots off Bloss in the fourth. Langeliers’ 19th homer came against Seth Martinez in the seventh.
It was the fifth game this season in which the A’s have hit four or more homers, tied for fifth-most in the majors.
Bloss allowed five runs and six hits in four innings of his third career start. He had five strikeouts and one walk.
Scott Alexander, Tyler Ferguson, Michel Otañez and T.J. McFarland each retired three batters for the A’s.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: OF Kyle Tucker (shin), sidelined since June 3, did some light defensive work Tuesday but is not yet ready for a rehab assignment, manager Joe Espada said.
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (8-6, 4.14 ERA) faces the A’s in the series finale Wednesday. Brown owns an AL-leading 2.15 ERA since May 22. Oakland counters with LHP JP Sears (7-7, 4.49).
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0