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Two teams looking to rebound from their first loss since returning from the All-Star break will kick off a three-game series Monday night when the Houston Astros visit the Oakland Athletics.
Both American League West clubs failed to complete a sweep over a division rival on Sunday. The Astros lost 6-4 at the Seattle Mariners in a duel of the division's top two squads, while the last-place A's squandered a late lead and fell 8-5 to the visiting Los Angeles Angels.
Befitting their respective places in the AL West standings, Houston has won six of seven games against Oakland this season. The Astros have outscored the A's 34-12 and have allowed fewer than four runs in each of the seven games.
Houston's pitching was similarly stout across Friday's 3-0 win and Saturday's 4-2 victory over the Mariners with first place in the division on the line. Astros relievers were particularly effective in the series, allowing two runs on three hits over 8 2/3 innings. Both runs and all three hits came in Sunday's loss.
Houston manager Joe Espada didn't allow any of his three starters to go past six innings in Seattle. Espada's confidence in his bullpen has allowed him to structure a conservative plan for his starters.
"It's something we need to watch very carefully," Espada said of his starters' workloads. "We've asked a lot of these guys the last couple of weeks to get back in this race."
Next up for the Astros is right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (4-7, 5.63 ERA), who has pitched into the seventh inning just twice in his 17 starts this season.
The rookie split a pair of decisions in his first two career starts against Oakland in May, pitching five innings in each. He allowed both A's runs in Houston's 9-2 home win on May 13 before giving up all three Oakland runs in a 3-1 road loss 12 days later.
This time around, the 24-year-old will be facing one of the hottest-hitting teams in baseball. Even in defeat Sunday, the A's added five runs to the 13 and eight they put up in wins over the Angels to start the second half.
Right fielder Lawrence Butler totaled seven hits, including two doubles and a triple, in the Angels series. That came after he bombed three home runs against the Philadelphia Phillies in the last game before the All-Star break.
"We have a lot of guys playing well right now," said designated hitter Brent Rooker, who has three homers and 10 RBIs in his last four games. "The ultimate goal is to be better at the end of the year than we are right now."
Left-hander Hogan Harris (1-3, 3.40) will get the ball for Oakland in the series opener. The 27-year-old is 0-1 with a 1.26 ERA in three appearances (one start) against the Astros.
In his second big-league appearance last year on May 27, Harris shut out Houston on one hit over five innings of relief in a 6-3 home loss. He was even better when he threw 3 1/3 innings of no-hit relief in an 8-1 road loss against the Astros on May 16.
In between, he started a 3-1 home loss to Houston, but allowed just two runs in six innings in that July 20, 2023 outing.
-Field Level Media
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