Takeaways: Oakland Athletics find an answer to Houston Astros team in extra-inning win

HOUSTON — Through the first 17 innings of this series, the A’s looked utterly overmatched by the Houston Astros.

The A’s had to find a way to get past the Astros at Minute Maid Park. In the 18th inning, the answer revealed itself: patience and resilience.

After scuffling through the majority of Tuesday’s game down two runs, Matt Olson hit a three-run home run in the ninth to tie it, and they won 4-3 on Ramon Laureano’s RBI double in the 11th inning.

“That’s why I love this team,” starter Mike Fiers said. “We’re never out of it.”

Laureano giveth, Laureano taketh away

Laureano had a split second to make a decision on Yuli Gurriel’s line drive, coming straight at him — potentially playable, but worth diving for with a runner in scoring position.

Laureano, ever the risk-taker, took a dive, and the ball went bouncing past him to the center field wall. Michael Brantly scored and Gurriel quickly followed for an inside the park home run.

“I’m not very confident diving forward,” Laureano said.  “I don’t know what it is. I have no idea what it is, but I have to find a way to work at it. I have to find a way to make those plays because it’s embarrassing right now.”

The margin of error against this Astros team is razor thin.

“He’s a fighter,” said manager Bob Melvin. “He’s never going to get down on himself, he’s never going to fail because he’s not scared of anything,” Melvin said. “I think sometimes, if he has one thing, he tries too hard sometimes.”

The same unhinged competitiveness that dug his team into a hole also dug his team out of it.

In the 11th inning, with two runners on, Laureano laced a double down the third base line. It scored the two runs he’d lost … until the umpire’s review determined that the ball lodged under the padding in the left field fence. They ordered Mark Canha back to third base and took a run away. But, that one run was enough.

Yusmeiro Petit pitched two shutout innings in extras.

“He’s got ice in his veins,” Melvin said.

It was a tough decision with Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen as possible options to take over, but Petit was locating like he usually does.

The Wade Miley puzzle

Unfortunately for the A’s, the comedown from Gerrit Cole’s stupefying fastball and slider was Miley’s unhittable cutter/changeup combination.

“He’s out there trying to miss barrels,” Matt Olson said. “Throwing cutters, changeups, fastballs, mixing it up well. He works quick and makes you expand a little more than you would. Couldn’t square anything up off him.”

Miley worked quickly and efficiently to the tune of eight innings with six strikeouts, allowing four hits and two walks. He left with two on in the ninth inning, and the A’s saw an opening.

“When he came out we knew we were going to tie it up and win it,” Laureano said.

Olson knew closer Roberto Osuna liked the heater, and knew the Astros had been attacking him with the heater. So, down 0-2, he sent the inevitable high heater into the right-field seats for a go-ahead, three-run home run.

“It was kind of a breath of fresh air when someone different came in and luckily we were able to push some runs across,” Olson said.

Fiers dominates on old turf

This rotation is running on the fumes of contact pitching. But, maybe this is a secret sauce.

“It allows you for the most part to get you deeper into games, and it’s not as taxing,” Melvin said before the game. “As much as we use our bullpen, we need somebody who can give us those kind of innings to give our relievers a break. It’s kind of the way it’s going right now. I think you’ll start to see more of these guys to swing back a little bit to some starters that do pitch to contact and are economical with their pitches.”

Fiers is incurring 40 percent ground balls and 40 percent fly balls; he’s trusting the Gold Glove defense behind him to keep the batter honest.

But it didn’t start out that way Tuesday. He fell behind in most counts and his pitch count went up quickly and the Astros threatened early.

But he made his adjustments and let his fastball, changeup and slider do its thing — eventually adding more curveballs as the game wore on.

“I was trying to be too perfect with some pitches,” Fiers said. “I wasn’t really trusting my stuff, trying to nail corners and stay down as much as possible but I have to give myself a little leeway there, really just trust my stuff and tell myself I don’t have to be perfect. They’re still human they’re going to get themselves out.”

Fiers went 7 2/3 innings, those two runs in the first the only dent on his Houston return.

He made sure his voice was still heard after his departure, though. He made a point of leaping out of the dugout when his new team rallied.

“That was just a little jab at them because they always come out of the dugout,” Fiers said. “It’s no hate, all love.”