Even a Mason Miller sighting wasn’t enough to prevent the Athletics from losing for the eighth time in the last 10 games.
Victor Caratini singled home the winning run against Michael Kelly (2-1) in the 10th inning Tuesday night as the Houston Astros beat the A’s, 2-1, at Minute Maid Park.
Miller, who had taken the mound just once in 11 days, pitched the eighth and ninth innings for the A’s with five strikeouts, but the A’s could not score and fell to 19-25. Houston improved to 17-25, having won the first two games of the series.
The A’s squandered an opportunity in the ninth but came up empty, setting the stage for Houston to win in the 10th.
Pinch-runner Trey Cabbage opened at second base as the free runner, and went to third on a fly ball to left by Jake Meyers. Caratini followed by bouncing a single up the middle for the winning run.
In the top of the ninth, Houston closer Josh Hader (2-3) — working a rare second inning for him — walked Max Schuemann to join free runner Seth Brown on base to lead off the ninth. Both runners moved up on a fly to deep center by Abraham Toro, creating a scoring chance. Hader, however, struck out Esteury Ruiz, who was hitting for J.J. Bleday, and then retired Brent Rooker on a ground ball to end the threat.
The Athletics tied the score 1-1 in the top of the eighth against Ryan Pressly, the fourth Houston reliever after starter Ronel Blanco was ejected because umpires detected a foreign substance on his glove. Toro opened the eighth with a double and after moving to third on a grounder to first by Bleday, Rooker singled in the tying run.
Starting pitcher J.P. Sears gave up just one run on an Alex Bregman home run in the second, but had to throw a season-high 100 pitches to get through five innings. A 35-pitch second inning made it clear he wouldn’t be out there more than five.
“Obviously I want to be out there for the sixth or seventh inning, but knowing where I was after two innings, I kind of eyed that fifth inning and was trying to get through it,” Sears said.
Sears walked one and struck out two before giving way to Austin Adams in the sixth inning. Houston was 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position against Sears and left five runners on base.
“It’s a tough loss. J.P. did a great job with his start through five innings, only allowing one run, set up our bullpen for our leverage guys and they did a great job,” Kotsay said. “Offensively we just couldn’t score. We did enough to tie the game, and in the ninth we had had a chance to push across the go-ahead run and couldn’t get it done.”
Austin Adams and Lucas Erceg each pitched scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, with Miller striking out the side in the eighth, walking home run leader Kyle Tucker with one out but fanning Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena.
Having pitched only once in the previous 11 games, Miller was sent out for the ninth and had a 1-2-3 inning with two more strikeouts. He threw 29 pitches, 20 of them strikes.
Bregman’s home run was his fourth of the season and third in two days, having hit a pair against the A’s in Houston’s 9-2 win Monday night.
Houston pitcher Ronel Blanco pleads his case with base umpire Tripp Gibson after being ejected following a foreign substance check Tuesday night against the Athletics. A.P. Photo
Conditions in the closed-roof Minute Maid Park were humid enough that Sears had change jerseys before the game was three innings old because it was soaked with sweat.
Blanco had already been checked by umpires before he started in the first inning, but when he was re-checked going into the fourth by home plate umpire Laz Diaz, it proved to be the end of his night. His glove was confiscated and the Astros summoned Tayler Scott from the bullpen to take over.
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Blanco’s foreign substance ejection ended his night after 54 pitches, and he faces a potential 10-game suspension.
NOTABLE
— Opposing hitters are 1-for-41 against Miller over his last 11 games. He’s given up no runs, walked two and struck out 30 over the span. For the season, Miller has 38 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings.
— In his first game back off the injured list, second baseman Zack Geloff was 0-for-4 and struck out three times.
