Houston Astros third baseman Luis Valbuena (18) reacts after hitting a three run game winning home run against the Oakland Athletics in the ninth inning at Minute Maid Park.
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The Astros scored on a two-out double by Evan Gattis in the ninth to tie it at 1-all, forcing extra innings in the final game before the All-Star break.
Mengden pitched out of the fourth, but the fifth inning began with the bottom of the order nicking him for back-to-back singles before a walk loaded the bases, setting up a four-run inning that knocked Mengden out of the game. The Semien walk was the third straight walk in the third inning following the Vogt single. Marisnick scored on a Jose Altuve groundout to third.
“I didn’t see that he was at his best”, Houston manager A.J. Hinch said.
“I think the movement of the fastball was as good as I have had it”, Graveman said. “There were some I missed location, but the movement took over, so we still got groundballs”.
“He was one pitch away, ” manager Bob Melvin said of Madson. “I was going to do anything to get the double play because that would help us more than that one run”. “I didn’t have negative thoughts going into that inning”. They will now head into the all-star break seven games over.500, the exact same number of wins over.500 as last season.
Davis pushed the Athletics into an 8-7 lead with his double, scoring pinch-runner Tyler Ladendorf and Lowrie.
Graveman (5-6) allowed two runs on five hits and struck out three in extending his win streak to four games.
A’s starter Daniel Mengden had been looking forward to Friday’s start against Houston if for no other reason than that the A’s starter was first drafted by the Astros.
Marcus Semien gave the A’s a 1-0 lead on an RBI single in the sixth. The reigning AL Cy Young Award victor, who is 2-3 with a 2.92 ERA in 12 career games (10 starts) against Oakland, has regained his command in his last nine starts, recording 52 strikeouts and only 10 walks. I knew I had to get rid of it quick because Correa was running. Manaea allowed five hits, six strikeouts, and walked none.
Mengden, a rookie who is from Houston and attended nearby Texas A&M, yielded six hits and a season-high six runs in a season-low 4 2/3 innings.
Altuve singled with no outs in the fourth for Houston’s first hit before Correa’s 14th homer cut the lead to 3-2. Astros SS Carlos Correa’s homer on Friday was his 35th for the team as a shortstop, tying Adam Everett for the franchise record.2. More than that, two batters later Carlos Gomez’s liner hit Mengden in the chest, and he was never quite the same after that. “I had a bad stretch with those three batters, and it hurt me”.
“Those are always nerve-wracking”, Mengden said.
NOTES: Astros LF Colby Rasmus was not in the starting lineup due to an ear infection. “I just feel like I’m coming out in every start and giving the team a chance to win now, and that’s a good feeling”.
Coco Crisp had two hits after serving a one-game suspension Friday, and Josh Reddick had two hits, including a triple.
Houston Astros’ Jake Marisnick lays down a bunt for a foul in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Sunday, July 10, 2016, in Houston. Crisp apologized after the game and said he didn’t mean for the bat to end up so close to Reyburn.
Kendall Graveman continued his string of good outings Saturday, with arguably his best start of the season.
Red Sox 6, Rays 5: David Ortiz hit his 21st homer, powering Boston to its fourth win in five games.
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In 12 career appearances (10 starts) against the A’s, Keuchel is 2-3 with a 2.92 ERA. Manaea made his major league debut against Houston on April 29, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts over five innings while not factoring into the decision of a 7-4 victory.
