Houston 11, Oakland 5
When: 10:05 PM ET, Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Where: O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California
Temperature:
82°
Umpires:
Home -
Mark Ripperger, 1B -
Jim Wolf, 2B -
Alan Porter, 3B -
Brian O'Nora
Attendance:
13387
By The Sports Xchange
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Left fielder Colby Rasmus started the Houston Astros' home run parade with a solo shot in the top of the second inning Wednesday night at the O.co Coliseum.
By the end of the night, the Astros had four home runs, a share of a major league homer record and an 11-5 victory against the Oakland A's.
Designated hitter Evan Gattis, center fielder Carlos Gomez and first baseman Marwin Gonzalez also homered for the Astros. Gonzalez hit his 10th of the season and became the 11th Astro with double-digit home runs, which tied the major league record set by Detroit in 2004.
"I feel we've been able to show a lot of power," said Rasmus, who returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sinus infection. "I don't know if that was really the goal coming in. I think we just have some good athletes and our hitting coaches get us in a good position to hunt good pitches."
The Astros salvaged a win in the final game of their three-game series and extended their lead in the American League West to two games over the Texas Rangers. Houston ended its five-game Coliseum losing streak by pounding out 13 hits, nine for extra bases.
With 192 home runs, the Astros moved into a tie with the Toronto Blue Jays for the major league lead.
"I thought we got aggressive early," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "Obviously, we homered throughout the game and really took after them offensively."
Right-hander Collin McHugh (16-7) won his third consecutive start despite a rough outing. He gave up five runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. McHugh blanked the A's for four innings before giving up four runs in the fifth and one in the sixth. He struck out five and walked two.
A's right-hander Aaron Brooks (1-3) gave up five runs on eight hits over four innings.
"It's a good hitting team, and not getting the ball down as many times as I wanted took its toll," Brooks said.
Rasmus hit his 19th home run of the season. He also doubled, walked and scored twice. Gattis hit his 23rd home run, a two-run blast in the fifth. He had two hits and scored twice.
Gomez crushed a solo home run with two outs in the sixth, his 11th home run overall and third since coming to the Astros from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade. He also doubled and scored twice.
Gonzalez, the No. 8 hitter, hit a solo shot in the seventh. He had a walk and three hits, including a double to go with his home run.
Houston catcher Hank Conger, who hit ninth, went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs. He is in the double-digit home run club with 10.
"I think it shows there's really no holes, whether it's in the middle of the lineup or back of the lineup," Conger said. "At any time, any player on the team can really hit a home run and really change the game."
A's right fielder Josh Reddick hit his 16th home run of the season, a two-run blast in the fifth. Designated hitter Billy Butler hit a solo shot in the fifth for his 11th home run.
"I haven't been feeling the best in the box since coming back from the road," Reddick said. "I still have work to do, but the home run helps."
A's shortstop Marcus Semien had two hits but committed his 34th error of the season, the most in the major leagues, and tied the Oakland record set by Bert Campaneris in 1968.
Rasmus gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the third inning, launching a home run into the second deck in right field with two outs. On a 3-2 count, Brooks threw a belt-high, 93 mph fastball, and Rasmus crushed it.
"Wasn't feeling too great today, but thankfully we got out there and I was able to put some wood on it," Rasmus said.
The Astros extended their lead to 4-0 in the fourth. Gattis grounded a leadoff single to center and moved to third on Rasmus' double down the right field line. With one out and the A's infield drawn in, Conger grounded a two-run, opposite-field single to left.
Right fielder George Springer grounded into a force play, but second baseman Jose Altuve brought him home from first with his second double of the night, a line drive to left-center field.
NOTES: Manager Bob Melvin agreed to terms with the A's on a two-year contract extension through the 2018 season. ... A's C Stephen Vogt said he expects to play again this season and considers himself fortunate to have avoided surgery or the loss of a testicle after being hit in his protective cup by a foul ball Sunday against Seattle. "I've taken so many shots to the cup," Vogt said. "This one was direct, 93 (mph) if not harder with the redirection from the bat. I've never been hit that directly with that much velocity. The pain is indescribable. I'm on pain medication, and it's still not comfortable." ... Astros LHP Tony Sipp, who hasn't pitched in a game since Aug. 26 due to a sore back, threw a bullpen session Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. He will rejoin the team in Anaheim during its three-game series against the Angels that begins Friday.
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
Houston
|
13 |
4 |
30 |
.325 |
15 |
6 |
11 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
Oakland
|
9 |
2 |
15 |
.250 |
15 |
11 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
2 |