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 Center fielder Sam Fuld cracked a two-run home run as part of a
ninth-inning rally as the Athletics squeezed out a 5-4 win over the
Houston Astros on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park.
Astros closer Chad Qualls (1-4) blew his fourth save of the season
and third against the Athletics before Fuld supplied Oakland (78-54)
the winning margin with his third home run of the season.
Qualls surrendered a leadoff single to Jonny Gomes, a stolen base to
pinch runner Craig Gentry and a game-tying single to Eric Sogard
before Fuld capped the three-run frame with his blast to right on a
1-0 pitch.
"Having seen Qualls last night that was kind of a difference-maker,"
Fuld said. "I'm hesitant to be really aggressive early in the count
when I haven't seen a guy before. But having seen him last night
kind of gave me the confidence to be aggressive early."
Having shown a tendency to be overly reliant upon the home run to
generate offense, the Astros (56-78) manufactured their three runs
Wednesday.
Second baseman Jose Altuve scored on a wild pitch in the sixth
inning.
Left fielder Robbie Grossman provided a clutch hit in the seventh,
dumping a two-out, two-strike pitch the opposite way and into right
off left-hander Fernando Abad, scoring catcher Carlos Corporan to
tie it 2-2. Abad, who entered with two runners on, had not allowed
any of his previous 26 inherited runners to score this season.
Altuve followed by dribbling a ground ball into shallow center
field, scoring third baseman Matt Dominguez with the go-ahead run.
Athletics left-hander Eric O'Flaherty earned his first save by
working around Grossman's leadoff single and a solo home run from
Astros designated hitter Chris Carter, his 33rd. Altuve hit into a
double play between Grossman and Carter to erase the potential for a
walk-off win.
Right-hander Dan Otero (8-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the
win.
Five days after departing his start in Cleveland after just five
innings due to forearm discomfort, Astros right-hander Brad Peacock
struggled early. He needed 30 pitches to escape the first inning and
induced a double play to erase right fielder Josh Reddick in the
second inning before setting down the Athletics in order in the
third and fourth.
Center fielder Dexter Fowler and shortstop Gregorio Petit teamed to
erase Alberto Callaspo at the plate to close the fifth, and it
wasn't until the sixth, when Peacock eclipsed 100 pitches, that he
began to falter.
After a pair of walks and a double by left fielder Brandon Moss,
Peacock was lifted in favor of left-hander Kevin Chapman with the
bases loaded and one out.
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Gomes produced a run with a sacrifice fly, but Peacock allowed just one
run on four hits and five walks, with six strikeouts, in 5 1/3 innings.
"He did a great job of settling down and got to attacking the strike
zone," Astros manager Bo Porter said of Peacock. "In the first inning he
was spraying it a little bit and got into a lot of deep counts. It was
good to get out of that first inning when we were able to get out of it,
and he settled in and really started to attack the strike zone."
Athletics left-hander Drew Pomeranz was better. He carried a shutout
into the sixth before allowing his third hit with one out in the inning.
Right-hander Ryan Cook promptly surrendered the lead, allowing Altuve to
steal third base before uncorking a run-scoring wild pitch. Pomeranz
allowed one unearned run and one walk while striking out seven in 5 1/3
innings.
"Had a really good curveball; a lot of his strikeouts came on the
curveball," Athletics manager Bob Melvin said of Pomeranz. "He pitched
in effectively enough to do what he did tonight, which is tough to do
when you come up for a start like that and the expectations are high and
you expect to win."
Added Carter: "We just had trouble hitting his curveball today. He was
throwing it for strikes and we were just not getting hits on it."
NOTES: The Athletics recalled LHP Drew Pomeranz from Triple-A Sacramento
and optioned 1B Nate Freiman to Class A Beloit primarily because the
Snappers are no threat to qualify for the postseason and Freiman can
earn at-bats before he is recalled when major league rosters expand on
Sept. 1. ... Astros LHP Darin Downs will began a rehab assignment with
Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday with the expectation that he will make
two appearances this weekend before being reinstated from the 15-day
disabled list. Downs landed on the DL on Aug. 15 with a right oblique
strain. ... Athletics INF Nick Punto continues to progress with his
running program but isn't ready for a rehab assignment or reinstatement.
Punto has been out since early August due to a right hamstring strain.
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