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A’s at brink of elimination Astros win slugfest
Springer hits 2 HRs, Astros beat A’s 5-2 for 2-0 ALDS lead
Houston Astros’ George Springer, right, watches his two-run home run off of Oakland Athletics pitcher Yusmeiro Petit, left, during the fifth inning of Game 2 of a baseball American League Division Series in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
2020.10.06 – Back-to-back home runs off back-to-back pitches. The Houston Astros can’t miss these days.
George Springer hit two homers and Houston kept making more noise in the playoffs, beating the Oakland Athletics 5-2 on Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in their AL Division Series.
Martín Maldonado also went deep for Houston, which needs one win to reach its fourth straight AL Championship Series. Game 3 in the best-of-five series is Wednesday, when Houston is the home team in the neutral site matchup.
“With every victory, the energy and the confidence grows,” first-year Houston manager Dusty Baker said. “We’re expecting good things to happen.”
Springer put Houston ahead to stay with a two-run, two-out drive in the third on a second straight 90-degree day at Dodger Stadium.
“You don’t know if you’re ever going to get back here, so the times you’re here you might as well try and have fun,” Springer said.
Houston went back-to-back in the fifth, extending the lead to 5-2.
Maldonado’s solo shot chased loser Sean Manaea in his first appearance this postseason. Yusmeiro Petit came in, and Springer connected for his second homer of the game. Maldonado yelled and raised his right arm in celebration from his seat in the dugout.
“Just a couple bad pitches,” Manaea said. “I know we are going to figure this thing out and turn it around.”
Springer’s 17 postseason homers tied Nelson Cruz and Jim Thome for most through a player’s first 54 career postseason games. Five of Springer’s postseason homers have come at Dodger Stadium, where the Astros beat the Dodgers in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series.
“I don’t really pay attention to that stuff,” Springer said. “I’d much rather us win.”
Houston improved to 7-3 in Dodger Stadium since that World Series. Current A’s pitcher Mike Fiers last year told of his old team’s sign-stealing scandal used in 2017, a revelation that rocked baseball.
The scandal led to season-long suspensions of Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch, who both were fired. Boston manager Alex Cora and Mets manager Carlos Beltrán also lost their jobs as fallout their roles with the ’17 Astros, and Houston still draws ire of other players and fans.
“This is a team that believes in one another and sticks together and really tries to enjoy the day,” Springer said.
2020.10.06 (Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros) See video
2020.10.06 (Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros) See video
Houston turned three double plays, including one to end the game. Second baseman José Altuve got the first two going and had a hand in all three.
“What kept us in the game was our defense,” Baker said. “Jose made some great plays.”
Hot, sunny and dry conditions again created an ideal environment for the long ball. The teams combined for five homers, raising the series total to 11.
Winner Framber Valdéz allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, struck out four and walked one. The 26-year-old left-hander, making his first postseason start, retired his final 10 batters.
“His ball is moving all over the place. His breaking ball was good,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “Our bats were better early. He got more confidence as the game went along. Last three times out he has pitched with a lot of confidence.”
Valdez dazzled in his relief appearance against Minnesota in the AL wild card series opener, tossing five scoreless innings and scattering two hits to go with five strikeouts.
Enoli Paredes retired the side in the eighth. Ryan Pressly worked around Marcus Semien’s leadoff single in the ninth, Oakland’s only hit past the fourth inning, to finish a six-hitter for his second save of the postseason.
Oakland didn’t have an at-bat with a runner in scoring position. The A’s are hitting 14 for 62 (.226) in the series.
“We have nothing to lose from here,” A’s infielder Chad Pinder said.
Oakland got on board with Khris Davis’ second-inning home run, his third of this postseason that put the A’s ahead.
After Springer’s first homer, the Astros extended their lead to 3-1 on Carlos Correa’s RBI groundout in the fourth that scored Michael Brantley, who doubled leading off.
Pinder led off the bottom half with a 453-foot homer to right-center, the longest home run at Dodger Stadium this season.
For the second straight game, Oakland’s starting pitching failed to go deep. Manaea gave up four runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. Chris Bassitt didn’t get out of the fourth in Game 1, allowing three runs and nine hits.
“We just have to win tomorrow and worry about the next day after that,” Melvin said. “Anything further than that is a distraction.”
GREINKE HURT
Baker said right-hander Zack Greinke is dealing with arm soreness. He hasn’t pitched in the series and Baker said the team is awaiting test results. “It’s pretty evident the last three, four starts that he wasn’t himself,” the manager said.
OFF DAY
Correa was 0 for 3 with a RBI and a strikeout after homering twice in Game 1 and becoming the first shortstop in major league history with two multi-homer games in postseason play.
UP NEXT
Astros: RHP Jose Urquidy goes in Game 3. He started Game 2 of the AL wild card against Minnesota, allowing one run and two hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two.
Athletics: LHP Jesús Luzardo starts for Oakland. He started and lost the wild card opener against the Chicago White Sox, giving up three runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and no walks.
RELATED: See below- 2020.10.05 (Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros)
Read more at: Oakland Athletics Media Services / More AP MLB: www.apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Oakland Athletics, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Correa, Springer rally Astros past A’s 10-5 in ALDS opener
Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa (1) hits a two-run home run off of Oakland Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt, left, during the fourth inning of Game 1 of a baseball American League Division Series in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
2020.10.05 – A home run derby broke out during a hot, dry day at Dodger Stadium, and suddenly the Houston Astros have their swing and swagger back.
Carlos Correa homered twice and drove in four, Jose Altuve hit a go-ahead, two-run single during Houston’s four-run sixth inning and the Astros rallied to beat the Oakland Athletics 10-5 in the opener of their AL Division Series on Monday.
“I love October baseball,” Correa said. “The energy is just different. I know there’s no fans this year, but the energy to know you win or go home is what drives me.”
George Springer, MVP of the 2017 World Series, had four hits for Houston, which trailed 3-0 and 5-3.
“To get down early and not quit and fight hard and come out with a win in the first game is obviously huge,” Springer said.
The Astros rallied with two outs in the sixth against Oakland’s vaunted bullpen to take control of Major League Baseball’s first neutral-site postseason game resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Houston pounded out 16 hits in all as the A’s ran through eight pitchers.
“As the game got deeper,” Springer said, “the at-bats got better.”
The teams combined for six home runs in daytime conditions that were ripe for the ball to carry at the stadium where the Dodgers hit a major league-leading 118 homers. The temperature was 91 degrees at game time under sunny skies and with little breeze, although tricky shadows crept toward the mound during the final innings. The entire best-of-five series will be played during the day. At night, the air is cooler and often thicker, an environment less favorable to hitters.
“I’ve never seen the ball carry like that here,” said Astros manager Dusty Baker, an All-Star player for the Dodgers in the 1980s.
Houston’s hitters hadn’t looked quite the same this year, the first since their sign-stealing scheme was unveiled. Altuve, Correa and others slumped during the regular season, and the team hit a combined .194 during a two-game sweep of Minnesota in the wild-card round.
“You can’t judge this offense by 60 games,” Correa said. “When you get the leadoff guy (Springer) getting on base every single time, good things are going to happen. When he goes, we go as a team.”
2020.10.05 (Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros) See video
2020.10.05 (Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros) See video
The Astros’ strut emerged at the same ballpark where they beat the Dodgers to win the 2017 World Series in seven games, helped by their sign-stealing scandal that rocked baseball and drew the ire of rival players and fans.
“The way people want to perceive us is fine,” starter Lance McCullers Jr. said. “People are allowed to feel any way about the Houston Astros.”
After two quick outs in the sixth, Houston’s Josh Reddick reached when shortstop Marcus Semien booted a grounder for a costly error that allowed the Astros to extend the inning.
“They played the later innings better than we did,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. “We just didn’t have the at-bats that we typically do at the end of the game.”
Martin Maldonado followed with a single. Springer doubled to shallow left for his 25th career postseason extra-base hit in the leadoff spot, moving past Derek Jeter for most ever, according to Stats Perform. The ball zinged down the third-base line past a diving Chad Pinder, pulling Houston to 5-4.
Altuve’s line-drive single to left scored Maldonado and Springer to put the Astros back in front, 6-5. Altuve moved up on the throw home and scored on Michael Brantley’s single to right.
Correa’s second home run — a blast to center in the seventh — had Ramon Laureano climbing the wall in pursuit. His spikes dug a hole in the wall covering as the Astros led 8-5. Correa cupped his ear with his hand as he rounded the bases, a taunt aimed at those who have criticized Houston for its cheating system.
“When Carlos Correa is right there’s nobody better,” McCullers said. “He’s been coming up huge for us.”
Houston added two runs in the ninth on Correa’s RBI single and Yuli Gurriel’s sacrifice fly.
Blake Taylor got the victory with one inning of relief. J.B. Wendelken took the loss, allowing four runs and three hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Oakland led 5-3 in the fifth on Mark Canha’s sacrifice fly to right that scored Semien. He singled and took second when third baseman Alex Bregman barehanded the ball and threw it past first for an error.
Matt Olson homered leading off the fourth, putting Oakland back in front 4-3. His shot to center was his first-ever hit off McCullers.
Chris Bassitt put the potential tying and go-ahead runs on in the fifth with back-to-back singles by Springer and Altuve. But he gave way to Yusmeiro Petit, who retired the next three batters to escape the jam.
Bassitt was cruising along until the Astros jumped on him for three straight hits in the fourth. Bregman homered leading off, Kyle Tucker followed with a single and scored on Correa’s homer to center that tied the game, 3-3. Bassitt hadn’t given up three runs since August.
McCullers got out of any further damage by retiring the next three batters.
“Those were real big,” Baker said. “He left them out there or they would have been off to the races.”
The A’s took a 3-0 lead with homers by designated hitter Khris Davis, who had a two-run blast in the second, and Sean Murphy’s solo shot in the third. Olson walked to set up Davis, who went opposite-field on the first pitch from McCullers.
STILL SKIDDING
The A’s extended their losing streak in Game 1 of the postseason to eight.
“We’re not panicking,” Bassitt said. “Win tomorrow and don’t worry about the extra crap.”
ON THIS DAY
Bregman has homered on Oct. 5 for four straight years.
UP NEXT
Astros: LHP Framber Valdez got a victory in the AL wild-card series against Minnesota.
Athletics: LHP Sean Manaea makes his second career postseason start after losing the AL wild card game last year when chosen to start over 15-game winner Mike Fiers, who had pitched his second career no-hitter in 2019. Manaea returned later than he had hoped following surgery in September 2018 to go 4-0 with 1.21 ERA in five starts over September last season.
RELATED: – 2020.09.29 (Oakland A’s vs. Chicago White Sox)
Read more at: Oakland Athletics Media Services / More AP MLB: www.apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Oakland Athletics, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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