The Athletics came to Houston in an unfamiliar position Monday night with a three-game lead on the struggling fourth-place Astros.
The end result was all too familiar, with Houston getting a pair of home runs and a two-run double from Alex Bregman and beating the A’s 9-2 at Minute Maid Park.
Houston, the American League West champions six of the last seven years, improved to 16-25, with the A’s moving to 19-24 after the first game of a four-game series.
The Astros, who scored six runs in the seventh and eighth innings, have won 11 of their last 14 games against the A’s in Houston and 17 of the last 21 overall against Oakland.
“They got add-on runs that for the most part we’ve been able to prevent this season and the last couple of days we haven’t,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay told reporters. “These guys are professional hitters, they have a deep lineup and when you make a mistake you get punished.”
Bregman hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, his second of the season and added his third against reliever Mitch Spence in the seventh to make it 4-2.
Houston broke the game open with four runs in the eighth inning, with Bregman hitting a two-run double off reliever Easton Lucas and Victor Caritini adding another two-run double down the left field line.
The A’s helped set the table for Houston in the inning with a walk by Lucas and an infield error by shortstop Max Schuemann.
Houston scored in the seventh to make it 5-2 when Jose Altuve singled home Jake Meyers, who walked, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Shea Langeliers.
Starter Ross Stripling (1-7) pitched five innings, giving up four hits and three runs — two earned — with two walks and one strikeout. Counterpart Spencer Arrighetti (1-4) also threw five innings, surrendering five hits and two runs, both earned with two walks and five strikeouts.
“We’re well aware of the Astros’ record but it doesn’t seem to be because of their offense,” Stripling said. “We poked the bear a little bit with Bregman and hopefully we didn’t get him going too much today.”
Houston, which scored in the second on an RBI groundout from Jon Singleton and in the third on a run-scoring double by Kyle Tucker, added another in the third on a solo home run from Bregman against Stripling for a 3-1 lead in the fourth.
The Athletics broke through against Arighetti in the top of the fourth when Brent Rooker doubled down the line in left and scored on single to left center by Tyler Soderstrom. In the fifth, the A’s closed within 3-2 when J.J. Bleday doubled home Abraham Toro, who had walked and stolen second base.
The A’s brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth after Soderstrom doubled Rooker to third with two out, but Ryan Pressly, who fell behind 3-1, came back to strike out Seth Brown looking.
NOTABLE
— Stripling acknowledged the A’s are feeling the pinch of losing Paul Blackburn, Alex Wood and Joe Boyle due to injury.
“A turn of the rotation where we lost Boyle, Blackburn and Woody,” Stripling said. “Me and J.P. (Sears) were joking about going out pitching in a bubble and just trying to stay healthy. That’s a tough turn when you were rocking the same five for over a month and you lose three of them.”
— Esteury Ruiz, who led the majors in stolen bases last season with 67, is struggling in that area in a part-time role. Running for Brett Harris in the top of the seventh, Ruiz was thrown out attempting to steal by Caritini against reliever Bryan Abreu. Ruiz has four stolen bases and has been thrown out four times this season.
— The Athletics made three errors, giving them 34 for the season.