 struck out six and gave up three runs, seven hits and two walks. The 23-year-old rookie right-hander struck out five of his first six batters in his sixth career start. Astros center fielder George Springer left with a left hand contusion after being struck by a fastball from Jesse Hahn (3-5) leading off the game. The ball also grazed Springer's left shoulder. Springer is tied for second in the AL with 21 home runs. His status is day-to-day. The Astros scored two runs in the first inning on two walks, the hit batsman and sacrifice flies from Carlos Beltran and Evan Gattis. Yuli Gurriel singled leading off the second for Houston's first hit, which started an eight-run inning in which the Astros sent 11 batters to the plate. Marisnick, who ran for Springer and took his spot in center field, hit his 10th home run, a three-run shot that highlighted the big inning. Gonzalez's two-run homer later in the inning was his 13th. Hahn gave up 10 runs, nine earned, in two innings. He had given up five earned runs in 16 innings over his previous three starts since coming off the disabled list with a right triceps strain. Oakland trailed 10-0 after two innings and 12-3 going into the eighth, when Adam Rosales' two-run double highlighted a six-run inning. Nori Aoki was 3 for 5 with a double for Houston. A's catcher Bruce Maxwell, called up from Triple-A Nashville earlier in the day, was 3 for 4 with a double. Dayan Diaz gave up five runs in 1/3 of an inning in the eighth for Houston. Chris Devenski pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save. ROSTER MOVESAthletics: C Stephen Vogt was designated for assignment. Maxwell and 1B/OF Matt Olson were called up from Triple-A Nashville. TRAINER'S ROOMAstros: 2B Jose Altuve didn't play on Thursday, manager A. J. Hinch said he wanted to give the reigning AL batting champion a day off. Athletics: INF Matt Chapman was placed on the 10-day DL with a bacterial skin infection on his left knee (retroactive to June 19). Doctors are administering antibiotics intravenously after medications ''plateaued,'' manager Bob Melvin said. ''They're going to be a little more aggressive with it and give him (intravenous) a drip antibiotics'' that they hope will accelerate his recovery. UP NEXTAstros: RHP Joe Musgrove (4-6, 5.09 ERA) will make his third start since coming off the disabled list with shoulder discomfort in the series opener against the Mariners. Athletics: RHP Jharel Cotton (4-7, 5.40) will face the Chicago White Sox for the first time. Cotton has allowed 12 home runs over 39 2/3 innings over his last seven starts.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Time: 3:35 PM EDT Venue: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA, 94621 OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics have had a decided home-field advantage against most teams they have faced at Oakland Coliseum this season. Then there are the Houston Astros. Houston improved to 5-0 against the A's at the Coliseum on Wednesday night with a 5-1 victory, the Astros' ninth consecutive win in Oakland. The A's haven't defeated Houston at the Coliseum since July 19, 2016, when they needed 10 innings for a 4-3 win. The Astros have won the first three games of the series and will go for a sweep on Thursday afternoon." I think it comes and goes," Astros manager A. J. Hinch said before Wednesday's game. "Not too long ago, we would come to this place and something crazy would happen and they would win a lot of close games. I don't really have the answer, other than we've played well against them in the last stretch." But we've got a few games in this ballpark before the season ends. We've got to keep playing well, keep putting pressure on them. We've played from ahead a lot, which is good, a good way for us to win because our 'pen's pretty good." The Astros took a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning Wednesday, then rolled to their 14th victory in the past 15 games between the two teams. A's right-hander Jesse Hahn will make his 12th start of the season when he faces Astros rookie right-hander David Paulino in the series finale Thursday. Hahn (3-4, 3.56 ERA) is 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in three starts since returning to the rotation after a stint on the disabled list with a strained right triceps." I feel good about everything," Hahn said. "I feel confident right now. Every start I'm just looking to go out there and build and put zeros on the board. That's just my mindset right now: Try to go out there and win." Hahn is 1-3 with a 6.05 ERA in four career starts against the Astros. He took the loss in his lone start against them this year, a 7-2 defeat on April 30 at Houston. He gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits over six innings, striking out six without issuing a walk. Hahn is well aware of the challenge he faces against an Astros team that has George Springer, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa at the top of its batting order." They're incredible," Hahn said. "They have a great team. Those guys are so good at the top of their lineup. They make that team so much better. I think you have to try to do as best you can to keep (Springer and Altuve) off base at the same time. One of them is OK, but when they both get on base, they're very dangerous." They like to run, they like to hit and run. And then you've got Correa and other guys coming up after them that also have power. For me, you've got to try to limit the top of the order from getting on base." Paulino, a 6-foot-7 Dominican Republic native, is coming off his first major league victory, in his fifth start and seventh appearance. He allowed one run on three hits over six innings in a 7-1 victory against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday at Minute Maid Park. Paulino, 23, struck out four and walked one." He looked great," Astros catcher Brian McCann said. "For somebody that tall to have four pitches, what stands out to me most is how he can control (them). He pounds the strike zone." When you have his kind of stuff and you can locate, there's no reason he can't build off that. I think the more experience he gets, the better he's going to be."
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