Marte’s Double In 9th Lifts A’s 2-1 Over Astros

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Starling Marte deed a game-ending treble with 1 retired successful the bottommost of the ninth inning, lifting the Oakland Athletics past the Houston Astros 2-1 connected Saturday.

The A’s are 4 games down AL chaotic paper co-leaders Boston and New York, with Seattle and Toronto besides successful their way.

READ MORE: Man Convicted Of Violent Rapes In Sacramento County

“There’s an constituent of desperation,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “You person to win. That’s what permeates our dugout close now.”

Houston’s magic fig to clinch the AL West remained astatine 3 implicit Seattle.

Elvis Andrus singled disconnected Ryan Pressly (5-3) to statesman the Oakland ninth. After Josh Harrison struck retired swinging, Marte lined an 0-1 transportation into the spread successful right-center for his 500th vocation RBI.

“I was conscionable trying to look for a bully transportation I could thrust into the gap,” Marte said done an interpreter. “Yan Gomes helped me, gave maine immoderate help, thing to look for and it turned retired OK for us.”

Andrus scored without a propulsion erstwhile halfway fielder Jose Siri’s propulsion backmost to the infield was low. That was important due to the fact that Andrus sustained an undisclosed near ankle wounded rounding 3rd basal and was helped disconnected the tract aft stumbling crossed location plate.

Melvin said Andrus felt a popular successful his ankle and was taken for X-rays.

“We won a game, that’s good, (but) we whitethorn suffer 1 of our toughest guys,” Melvin said. “We’ve got our fingers crossed that it’s not thing significant.”

Andrew Chafin (2-3) retired 3 batters to win.

Harrison had an RBI azygous and Andrus singled doubly for the A’s.

Kyle Tucker homered for Houston’s lone run. Jose Altuve doubled to widen his hitting streak to 13 games.

“Marte’s been a symptom successful our broadside and a symptom successful my broadside immoderate squad he’s been on,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “They did a bully occupation of pitching to us. You don’t similar it but sometimes that’s however it is. We’re inactive successful bully position. We conscionable person to muster up a mates wins here.”

READ MORE: Damage Assessment Teams Check Fawn Fire Destruction In Shasta County

The crippled was mostly a pitcher’s duel betwixt starters Oakland’s Sean Manaea and Framber Valdez.

Manaea struck retired 8 portion pitching 7 innings of three-hit ball. The A’s lefty retired 19 of 21 aft allowing Altuve’s treble connected his archetypal pitch.

“They conscionable pitched truly good the past mates of days,” Tucker said. “It’s pugnacious erstwhile they’re surviving connected the corners and not throwing it implicit the sheet a lot.”

Valdez gave up 1 tally and 3 hits successful 6 2/3 innings. He walked 4 and struck retired three.

Tucker struck retired swinging successful his archetypal 2 at-bats earlier sending a towering, solo thrust disconnected Manaea successful the seventh for the Astros’ 2nd hit.

Oakland tied it successful the bottommost fractional connected Harrison’s two-out bloop azygous disconnected Kendall Graveman that fell successful conscionable implicit the caput of shortstop Carlos Correa. Graveman, the erstwhile A’s starter, had conscionable replaced Valdez.

SHORT HOPS

Tucker is batting .369 (38-for-103) successful 30 games since returning from the injured database connected Aug. 24. … Oakland’s Matt Chapman, who tied a franchise grounds with 5 strikeouts connected Friday, was successful a 10 for 63 (.159) slump erstwhile helium drew a one-out locomotion disconnected Graveman to load the bases successful the eighth … Tony Kemp struck retired looking arsenic a pinch-hitter, ending a streak of 88 consecutive sheet appearances without striking out. It was the longest streak by an A’s subordinate since 1974.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: RHP Pedro Baez (shoulder soreness) is continuing his rehab duty with Triple-A Sugar Land and was scheduled to transportation Saturday night.

Athletics: Harrison was backmost successful the lineup aft being forced retired of Friday night’s crippled erstwhile helium fouled 2 balls disconnected his little near limb successful the aforesaid at-bat.

UP NEXT

MORE NEWS: Suspects At Large After Southern California Train Station Shooting

Astros RHP Jake Odorizzi (6-7, 4.22 ERA) is expected to beryllium activated disconnected the 10-day injured database to commencement the bid finale Sunday. Athletics RHP Paul Blackburn (1-3, 5.17) has allowed 13 earned runs successful 6 1/3 innings successful his 2 vocation appearances against Houston.