Athletics Nation - Game #86: A's at AstrosAn SB Nation blog for Oakland Athletics fanshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47025/an-fave.png2016-07-07T19:53:17-07:00http://www.athleticsnation.com/rss/stream/118897832016-07-07T19:53:17-07:002016-07-07T19:53:17-07:00Game #86: A's Pitchers Stop Surging Astros, A's Win 3-1
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<img alt="Rich Hill spins another gem." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MALRCuB_0gf4M3SVtAhgvHER7nQ=/0x28:2883x1950/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50055321/usa-today-9373236.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Rich Hill spins another gem. | Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Rich Hill had a dominant start through 6 and the trio of John Axford, Ryan Dull and Ryan Madson pitched a clean 7-8-9, as the A's pitching staff led the A's to a road win in Houston.</p> <p>The Oakland A's took the first game of the 4 game road set in Houston, with a 3-1 win paced by high quality pitching from lefty starter Rich Hill, who accumulated 10 K's, and 3 perfect innings from John Axford, Ryan Dull and Ryan Madson. The pitchers shut down the potent Astros lineup and the bats came through with just enough to win, with Yonder Alonso leading the way with 2 RBI hits both with 2 outs.</p>
<p>The 2016 season has been a roller coaster ride, with more troughs than peaks. Thursday evening's game was a highlight in what has been a tough year, as Hill, Axford, Dull and Madson combined to yield just three hits and shut down an Astros team that features multiple high quality hitters who have been hot. Additionally, the A's defense, which has been <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/this-oakland-defense-sure-has-been-something/" target="_blank">very bad on the year</a>, played well and continued a streak of 13 games without an error, which is certainly a step in the "let's be competent in core fundamentals" direction that is critical to the success of the franchise.</p>
<p>Early on, the game looked like it may not be a pitching dual, as the Astros started the scoring in the bottom of the 1st after Astros young star George Springer led off with a triple to CF just past Coco Crisp, and Marwin Gonzalez plated the run with a ground out to 2B. Hill was able to strike out all star 2B Jose Altuve and got Carlos Correa to fly out to end the inning. Little did we know at the time, that would be the sole run the Astros' offense would be able to manufacture.</p>
<p>The A's quickly answered back in the top of the 2nd inning. Danny Valencia and Khris Davis led off with back-to-back singles and A's all star C Stephen Vogt walked to load the bases. The rally was slowed as Marcus Semien hit into a 6-4-3 double play, however Valencia did score on the play, evening the score. Offensive hero Yonder Alonso stepped up in the clutch with a 2 out double to left center that plated Davis and resulted in the game winning RBI. Jake Smolinski grounded out to end the inning, but the damage on Astros starter Doug Fister was done, and the A's had given Hill and the bullpen all that was needed to win the game.</p>
<p>Hill did not quite have his epic curve going, but it was strong enough to keep the Astros off balance and Hill's low 90s fastball was nasty. Hill breezed through the 2nd through 6th innings with just two more singles and two walks. Hill struck out 10 batters on the day, and earned the win to move to 9-3 and lower his ERA to an impeccable 2.25. Hill's line ended at 6 IP, 1 run (earned) on 3 hits, 2 BB's and 10 K's. Hill now has 90 K's on the year and has been the most dominant A's pitcher by far.</p>
<p>For the Astros, after the turbulent 2nd inning, Fister settled in as well and mowed down the A's. Fister worked a scoreless 3rd through 8th as he dueled with Hill frame for frame, despite having no heat. Like the Tommy Milone's and Jared Weaver's of the MLB, who have also shut down the A's, Fister worked the edges of the zone and changed speeds effectively. The A's hitters clearly need to figure out how to approach soft tossers.</p>
<p>The only mid-inning drama was some questionable umpiring by plate umpire DJ Reyburn resulting in angry Athletics batters, which reached a crescendo after Crisp struck out and tossed his bat in Reyburn's direction, which resulted in an immediate ejection of the A's veteran OF with the good eye. Manager Bob Melvin came out to make a case, but Coco was gone for the game.</p>
<p>While Fister was keeping pace on his end, the A's had to turn to the pen in the 7th inning. Axford entered and AN gave a collective gasp in fear, as Axford has NOT pitched well over the past few weeks. This time, things were different, as Axford showed a pretty nasty cut fastball that he has not thrown much this year, and he worked a perfect 7th, including getting two K's. It was a relieving relief outing to see from Axford.</p>
<p>The totally nails Dull then came on for the 8th and produced another dull outing for opposing fans, as he also worked a 1-2-3 inning and secured an additional K, which was the 13th on the night for the Astros batters who, despite their hitting ability, lead the league in K's and held to that form tonight vs. quality pitching from the A's.</p>
<p>The A's entered the top of the 9th clinging to that 1 run lead secured in the top of the 2nd. Josh Reddick led off with a grounder to a shifted Correa that Reddick was able to beat out with a bad throw from Correa contributing. The official scorer ruled it an E-6, but it looked like a hit due to great hustle by Reddick. The play would prove crucial to securing an insurance run as a Davis ground out moved Reddick to 2nd, Vogt was intentionally walked with two outs, then Semien drew a walk to load the bases. Alonso then nubbed a 40 foot base hit to the right side of the infield to no man's land of a shifted defense to secure an RBI hit and move the A's lead to 3-1.</p>
<p>Closer Madson worked a crisp and clean 1-2-3 9th to close it out and earn his 17th save. He capped an excellent night from the A's bullpen and the A's pitching staff as a whole. It was great to see the pitchers mow down the hot Astros bats and the A's got just enough offense to earn the W and move to 37-49 on the year.</p>
<p>Tomorrow brings an intriguing match up as rookie SP Daniel Mengden faces the Astros club that drafted him and traded him just last year for Scott Kazmir. The Stache will look to prove to his old franchise that they made a mistake. The Astros will counter with Collin McHugh. Game time is 5:05 Pacific. Go A's!</p>
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2016/7/7/12125826/game-86-as-pitchers-stop-surging-astros-as-win-3-1510SportsTake2016-07-07T16:24:02-07:002016-07-07T16:24:02-07:00Game Thread #86: A's at Astros
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<img alt="Productive veterans high five." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Fz8BjHMoE8XdPHyrbwmuKg7npk8=/0x0:3995x2663/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50054453/usa-today-9306599.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Productive veterans high five. | Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>After an 11-15 June, the A's have limped to a 1-5 start in the first 6 games of July. The A's open a 4 game set in Houston this evening. This will be the final series before the All Star break.</p> <p>The Oakland Athletics enter play this evening with a 36-49 record, which is 4th place in the AL West, a half game ahead of the current cellar dwelling LA Angels and 16.5 games back from the Texas Rangers in both the division and the AL standings.</p>
<p>The A's record is the 4th worst in the AL and 6th worst in the MLB. The A's finished with the 6th worst record in the MLB in 2015.</p>
<p>Despite being just 1-5 in July, the A's do hold a 4-6 record in their last 10 games. The host Houston Astros are 2nd in the AL West at 46-39 and have been coming on, with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games. The Astros are currently a half game behind the Boston Red Sox for the 2nd Wild Card in the AL.</p>
<p>Despite the relative places in the standings, the A's do feature a compelling start from lanky lefty Rich Hill, who carries an 8-3 record, 2.31 ERA, 2.72 FIP and 1.11 WHIP into tonight's contest, all stellar marks on the year. After sitting out the month of June with a groin strain, Hill returned last week to pitch 6 quality innings vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates. The A's did not win the game, but Hill did strike out 6 in the outing vs. just 4 hits and 2 walks. Hill has struck out 27.8% of the batters he has faced on the season. The lefty represents the player who probably is the most likely to be traded if/when the A's front office decides to sell prior to the deadline.</p>
<p>Houston counters with their own veteran starter who was signed in the offseason in Doug Fister. Fister, too, has had a solid season and carries an 8-5 record, 3.66 ERA, and 1.28 WHIP. His FIP of 4.95 indicates he could be susceptible to some regression, but the crafty veteran has been able to limit damage on the year.</p>
<p>The A's feature a veteran laden lineup tonight and Jake Smolinski gets the rare start vs. a RHP, as 2nd year OF Billy Burns has struggled mightily of late and will be on the bench. Here are the lineups for the two teams:</p>
<div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix"> <h3>Today's Lineups</h3> <div class="lineup"><table class="zebra" cellspacing="0"> <thead> <tr> <th align="left">OAKLAND A'S</th> <th align="left">HOUSTON ASTROS</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Coco Crisp - CF</td> <td class="td-first td-name">George Springer - RF</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Jed Lowrie - 2B</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Marwin Gonzalez - 1B</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Josh Reddick - RF</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Jose Altuve - 2B</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Danny Valencia - 3B</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Carlos Correa - SS</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Khris Davis - DH</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Carlos Gomez - CF</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Stephen Vogt - C</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Luis Valbuena - 3B</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Marcus Semien - SS</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Evan Gattis - DH</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Yonder Alonso - 1B</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Jake Marisnick - LF</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Jake Smolinski - LF</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Jason Castro - C</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name"></td> <td class="td-first td-name"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Rich Hill - LHP</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Doug Fister - RHP</td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div> </div>
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<h5 class="poll-title">Favorite part of Rich Hill on the A's</h5>
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<div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none">61%</div>
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<h5>That curve!</h5>
<div class="poll_option_bar"><span class="vote_count">35</span> votes</div>
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<div class="poll_option clearfix">
<div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none">7%</div>
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<h5>The nickname "The Bishop"</h5>
<div class="poll_option_bar"><span class="vote_count">4</span> votes</div>
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<div class="poll_option clearfix">
<div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none">32%</div>
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<h5>Trade ideas</h5>
<div class="poll_option_bar"><span class="vote_count">18</span> votes</div>
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<div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none">0%</div>
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<h5>The peripherals</h5>
<div class="poll_option_bar"><span class="vote_count">0</span> votes</div>
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<p class="poll-total-votes"><strong>57</strong> votes
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https://www.athleticsnation.com/2016/7/7/12124320/game-thread-86-as-at-astros510SportsTake