Despite Sunday’s loss, Athletics exit series win over Astros feeling good
A four-game sweep of one of the best teams in baseball seemed unlikely.
On the hill for the Astros: Zack Greinke, acquired as the final trade deadline seconds ticked off to add deception and finesse to a powerful and devastating Houston rotation. In the visitor’s dugout yet again: a great team with plenty of talent to pump the brakes on a five-game skid.
Greinke stifled the A’s with a high-80s fastball that was nearly interchangeable with a mid-80s changeup and fall-off-the-table curveball, but Alex Bregman was the one-man wrecking crew the Astros needed.
Brett Anderson served up a juicy 0-2 slider he wanted back-foot and in the dirt that Bregman deposited in the left-field seats for a three-run home run. It secured the Astros’ 4-1 win on Sunday afternoon.
A four-game sweep certainly seemed within reach, though — a feat that at least got it’s most revealing peak when Marcus Semien hit a solo home run off Greinke’s 3-2 fastball to give the A’s an early lead.
Anderson left in the sixth inning with a runner on and a blister flare (he said he would be OK), but wove his way through some jams, including a pair of shallow pop-ups with one out and runners on third. The Astros clearly knew they’d need to rack up the runs; Chad Pinder, in right field today, chopped down a gutsy Jose Altuve gunning for home in the first inning.
But, perhaps despite the loss, the A’s already made a substantial statement. Oakland entered the home series with a 2-9 record against their AL West foes. A decent showing against the division’s unspoken gatekeeper could separate them from scary wild-card contenders to completely formidable American League competitors.
Each win displayed some of the A’s best looks.
Night one, the lineup out-slugged them. Night two they outlasted them. Day three they out small-balled them.
Justin Verlander took the mound with a sub-2 ERA at the Oakland Coliseum and Tanner Roark matched his efficiency blow-for-blow, inning by inning.
A bullpen struggling to keep leads intact and regain its 2018 confidence pitched seven shutout innings to pave the path for a 13-inning marathon victory. And Chris Bassitt, once on the rotational bubble, showed the national audience his strikeout-worthy curveball and mettle.
And, perhaps most notably, the offense put up 19 runs against a pitching staff with a collective 3.76 ERA (good for fourth-best in the majors).
“Four-game sweep is pretty tough, especially against a team like that,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Come tomorrow when you look at three out of four, it’s a plus.”
Monday’s off-day will be key for an exhausted bullpen — the A’s were down three relievers, including Yusmeiro Petit and perhaps Blake Treinen — and sandwiches a big series against the New York Yankees that could really test the A’s postseason potential.