Fatal fourth-inning leads to A’s 6-3 loss

The Astros score all their runs in the fourth and it’s all they needed

The A’s just can’t beat the Houston Astros.

You’d think ten games separate the two teams in the American League West by the way the A’s play them but heading into tonight it was just two. After tonight’s loss, however, the A’s are now 0-5 against the Astros this season with seven combined runs across those games.

Tonight’s loss signified that relationship also; it looked worse than it really was. Starter Ross Stripling had one of the most polarizing outings one will ever see that saw him surrender six runs in a brutal fourth inning — all six runs the Astros scored in their 6-3 win. The A’s were outhit just 12-10 in the effort and won more innings than Houston but that’s just the way baseball works sometimes.

The A’s did something in the first inning they haven’t done in their last 17 games: they scored first. JJ Bleday reached second after his pop-up caught the wind and tricked Jeremy Pena and Miguel Andujar smacked a single on the third pitch he saw of the season two batters later to put the A’s ahead 1-0.

It looked for a second like the A’s and Stripling could do something with the early advantage. He sent down the first nine he faced in order and looked to be in total control until he had an absolutely disastrous fourth inning — something he’s done a few times now.

Stripling didn’t even get out of the inning facing ten batters and surrendering eight hits and six earned runs. The rally started with two soft infield hits and the nail in the coffin was a three-run Jake Meyers home run that just hugged the foul pole and put the Astros ahead 6-1. Kyle Muller relieved Stripling in the fourth and in one pitch, ended the hellish inning.

The A’s got one of those runs back with a Bleday big-fly in the fifth to cut the lead to four. It’s his third straight game going yard which is the first time he’s done that in his career.

Still, as he’s done far too many times in his career, Justin Verlander turned in another quality start at the Coliseum tonight. He went six innings while allowing just one earned run, striking out nine and walking no one. He also hasn’t lost in Oakland since April 16, 2011. The velocity isn’t the same as it was then now at 41 years old, but Verlander can still spin the offspeed and he does a great job of using his fastball wisely.

Muller gave an inspiring effort out of the bullpen to keep the Astros at bay going four scoreless innings. The performance is sure to leave at least a few curious as to why he can’t just replace Stripling in the rotation.

The A’s scratched across another run off of reliever Bryan Abreu thanks to a Bleday double and another Andujar RBI single.

Bleday and Andujar combined to go 5/9 tonight with all three runs and RBIs while the rest of the lineup went 5/29. Give J.D. Davis his flowers too, he had three hits. In his season and A’s debut, Andujar went ³⁄₄ with a pair of RBIs and didn’t appear to skip a beat after a great spring.

It wasn’t a bad showing from the A’s offense, but they left nine of base and went 2/8 with runners in scoring position. They scored first, scored last, and certainly hit between also but the Astros did it in bulk.

After a few historic comebacks the last few days against the Colorado Rockies, the idea had to have been in the back of many peoples heads but the A’s just couldn’t do it tonight. A play that signified this was in the bottom of the eighth when Max Schuemann smoked a ball to the left-field wall destined for extra bases and a two-out rally but instead, Chas McCormick caught the ball on a full extension and collided hard with the wall.

And then in the ninth, by the time the nasty Josh Hader was in the game with a three-run lead it was going to take a miracle.

Game two of the three game set will be played tomorrow afternoon at 1:07 PM PDT. JP Sears will start for the A’s while Spencer Arrighetti opposes for the ‘Stros.