 allowed two singles and one run, which was unearned, while striking out 11 in six innings for his third straight win. Will Harris pitched a scoreless seventh and Ryan Pressly allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth after not pitching since Thursday because of a sore knee.Roberto Osuna allowed two hits and a run in the ninth before striking out Chris Herrmann for his 23rd save.Oakland starter Chris Bassitt (7-5) yielded five hits and four runs in six innings for the loss after winning his previous two starts.The Astros had trouble on defense early when Marcus Semien led off the game as he reached on an error by Alex Bregman on a bad throw to first base. Semien scored with one out when Matt Olson singled and reached second on an error by Josh Reddick in right field.Bassitt was rolling early and retired the first seven batters he faced, striking out the first five, before Robinson Chirinos doubled with one out in the third. Springer's two-strike home run came with two outs to put Houston up 2-1. Springer has 23 home runs in 71 games this season after hitting 22 in 140 games last year.Verlander had sat down nine straight when he walked Jurickson Profar with two outs in the fifth. Profar stole second base, but was left stranded when Verlander struck out Semien to end the inning.Bassitt plunked Chirinos on the hand to start Houston's fifth before Altuve homered to straightaway center field with two outs to extend the lead to 4-1.Mark Canha singled off Verlander with two outs in the sixth before he struck out Ramon Laureano to end the inning and his day.TRAINER'S ROOMAstros: SS Carlos Correa (fractured rib) will wrap up a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday and is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list on Friday.UP NEXTAthletics: LHP Brett Anderson (9-5, 3.82 ERA) will start for Oakland in the opener of a four-game series against Texas on Thursday night. Anderson is 2-0 with a 2.36 ERA in his past four starts.Astros: Houston is off on Thursday before opening a three-game interleague series at St. Louis on Friday night. Jose Urquidy (1-0, 5.54) will start in the opener after allowing two hits and one run in seven innings for his first major league win on Saturday against Texas.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Extra-inning win boosts A's entering finale in HoustonFLMOakland right-handed reliever Yusmeiro Petit delivered the sort of performance Tuesday that might yield benefits beyond the immediate result of the Athletics' 4-3, 11-inning win over the host Houston Astros.With closer Liam Hendriks unavailable, Oakland manager Bob Melvin rode Petit for two critical frames during extra innings. Petit worked around a Marcus Semien error in the 10th inning before returning for the 11th and retiring the side in order to seal the victory, squaring the three-game series ahead of a rubber match on Wednesday.By pitching so effectively in a high-leverage situation, Petit not only enabled the Athletics to survive without their All-Star closer, but he also allowed Melvin to preserve two other high-leverage relievers -- right-handers Blake Treinen and Lou Trivino -- to keep them fresh in the event they are needed in the series finale.The Athletics can cut the deficit in the American League West to five games in the loss column should they saddle the Astros with a second consecutive defeat."He's got ice in his veins," Melvin said of Petit. "It's a difficult decision with Treinen and Trivino down there, but he looked like he was locating really well and knew where his pitches were going, and nothing really bothers him. It was a great outing, probably the best of the year for him with the consequences." Right-hander Chris Bassitt (7-4, 3.96 ERA) will start Wednesday for the Athletics. He has pitched to a 5.14 ERA over his past 11 starts after going 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA over his first five.Bassitt is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA over four career appearances (three starts) against the Astros, including a no-decision in his lone start against Houston this season. He surrendered three runs on six hits and one walk over six innings in Oakland's 6-4, 12-inning defeat on June 2.All-Star right-hander Justin Verlander (12-4, 2.99 ERA) will start the series finale for Houston. He is 13-6 with a 2.63 ERA over 21 career starts against Oakland.Verlander allowed one run on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over eight innings in a 5-1 win at Oakland on June 1. He allowed a solo home run (to right fielder Stephen Piscotty, currently on the 10-day injured list due to a sprained right knee) in that outing and has surrendered 28 homers this season, two shy of his career high of 30 allowed in 2016.The 36-year-old veteran, who also allowed 28 homers in 2018, has posted only three starts this year in which he did not surrender a home run. Two of those appearances came away from Minute Maid Park.The gopher ball played a role in the Astros blowing a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning Tuesday, with closer Roberto Osuna allowing a three-run home run to Athletics first baseman Matt Olson after Houston starter Wade Miley carried a shutout into the ninth.Miley, who had not pitched beyond the seventh inning in his previous 20 starts this season, had thrown 98 pitches and was set to face the top of the Oakland order for the fourth time. He allowed the first two batters of the inning to reach base safely before being lifted for Osuna, who promptly coughed up the lead on an 0-2 fastball."Sometimes baseball will make you sick to your stomach, literally," Astros manager AJ Hinch said.--Field Level Media
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Oakland Athletics
Houston Astros
Pick Center
MLB
FINAL (7/24/2019)
BettingLeverage
