Athletics seek to remain within striking distance of Astros
As May turns to June, the Athletics find themselves where they were a year ago -- trying to catch the Houston Astros in the American League West.
OAKLAND — It’s not even June, but the Athletics know from experience about losing touch with the Houston Astros.
Even in last year’s out-of-nowhere 97-win regular season, the Astros were the one Everest the Athletics couldn’t climb, with Houston eventually capturing their second straight American League West title with 103 wins.
The Athletics (29-27) open a three-game weekend series at the Coliseum Friday night against Houston (37-20) in second place, 7 1/2 games out of first place. If that sounds familiar, it’s because on May 31 a year ago the Astros led the A’s by 6 1/2 games. The Athletics went 68-37 from June 1 through the rest of the season but Houston won so consistently they never got closer than four games with seven to play.
The head-to-head matchups mattered, too. Houston had a 12-7 record against the A’s, accounting for five games of the six-game final margin.
Rather than come in with a full head of steam, the Athletics lost back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday and Wednesday after having previously won 10 straight to go from 19-25 to 29-25.
The daily grind of baseball doe not allow for over-emphasizing a series that bridges May to June, but rest assured the Athletics realize who is coming to town.
“I mean, every game matters,” first baseman Matt Olson said. “It’s probably a little too early to be watching numbers between us, but we’re aware that Houston’s a really good team, they’re in our division, and we need to play ’em well.”
The Astros arrive with there key players out. Second baseman Jose Altuve, the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 2017, has been out since May 10 with a hamstring strain. Center fielder George Springer, who began Thursday tied for the A.L. lead in homers with 17, is also out with a hamstring injury.
Most recently, shortstop Carlos Correa (.295, 11 home runs, 35 RBIs) is out four to six weeks with a cracked ribs. That’s a considerable dent in Houston’s offense, but the dilemma for the A’s will be scoring against one of baseball’s most formidable starting staffs.
Mike Fiers (4-3, 5.00) opens Friday night against Brad Peacock (5-2, 3.19), Brett Anderson opposes Justin Verlander (8-2, 2.38) Saturday night and Chris Bassitt (3-1, 3.27) faces Gerrit Cole (5-5, 4.02) Sunday afternoon.
Peacock is 3-0 with a 0.39 earned run average in four starts, averaging 12.52 strikeouts per nine innings since going to a full windup. Verlander is second in the American League in wins and Cole is the league strikeout leader with 112.
The Athletics are already in a 1-4 hole against the Astros, having been swept in a three-game series in early April and splitting tow games in Oakland April 16-17.
“We know we’re going to play them 19 times and they’re always a battle,” Athletics manager Bob Melvin said. “We caught them at the beginning of their 10-game (win) streak last time, they were really playing well and they’re actually playing pretty well now down a few guys.
“They guy they run out on the mound every night gives them a chance to win. It starts with their starting pitcher, the confidence they take from him.”
Pitcher Liam Hendriks believes any downturn in play can be an issue considering the consistency of Houston.
“We’re in a position where we need to make every series important to us,” Hendriks said. “Any time you take your foot off the gas, it spells trouble. We’re facing a team that’s above us in the rankings and every team counts. We were pretty close to being a home seed for the wild card last year. Maybe these games will matter in terms of finishing off the division.”
The Athletics may or may not get designated hitter Khris Davis back for the second two games of the series. Davis is eligible to come off the injured list with a nagging hip injury sustained on May 5 in Pittsburgh.