OAKLAND (AP) — Frankie Montas pitched two-hit ball over seven innings and became the first Athletics pitcher in 20 years to reach 200 strikeouts in a season, helping Oakland pound the Houston Astros 14-2 on Friday night to support its slim playoff hopes.
Starling Marte had four hits and four RBIs as the A’s snapped a four-game skid. Oakland began the day four games behind the Yankees for the second AL wild card, with the Mariners and Blue Jays also in front of the A’s.
A’s Chad Pinder trots around the bases after hitting a pinch hit grand slam home run off Astros Brooks Raley in the bottom of the seventh inning Sept. 24, 2021 in Oakland. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Matt Olson drove in four for Oakland. Chad Pinder added a pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh inning.
Jose Altuve hit his 30th home run for the Astros. Houston’s magic number to clinch the AL West remains three over Seattle.
Astros pitcher Zack Greinke was scratched from his scheduled start and placed on the 10-day injured list with neck soreness. The 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner could return before the playoffs.
Two years after serving an 80-game suspension following a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, Montas (13-9) was dominant while helping the A’s stave off elimination in the AL West and preventing the first-place Astros from inching closer to the division title. The right-hander allowed one run, had eight strikeouts, walked three and hit two batters.
A’s pitcher Frankie Montas, left, is greeted by catcher Yan Gomes as they walk off the field in the sixth inning Sept. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Montas had at least one strikeout in every inning and pitched out of a jam in the seventh after giving up a leadoff walk and single. He’s the first A’s pitcher to have 200 strikeouts since Barry Zito had 205 in 2001.
Yusmeiro Petit and Domingo Acevedo retired three batters apiece to complete the two-hitter.
The Astros scored an unearned run off Montas in the first inning and went up 2-0 on Altuve’s leadoff home run in the third.
The A’s took the lead with three runs off fill-in starter Brandon Bielak (3-4) in the third, then broke the game open with six runs in the seventh and five in the eighth.
Pinder’s home run off Brooks Raley was Oakland’s first pinch-slam since Scott Sizemore had one against Texas in 2011.
Bielak, primarily a long reliever with one start this season, allowed three runs and four hits in three innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: Yordan Alvarez was Houston’s DH after being pulled from Wednesday’s game and not playing Thursday because of overall soreness. … RHP Peter Solomon was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land to take Greinke’s spot on the active roster.
A’s: 2B Josh Harrison left the game after fouling two balls off his left leg in the seventh inning. Harrison finished the at-bat before being taken out in between innings.
UP NEXT
Astros LHP Framber Valdez (11-5, 3.07 ERA) has won his last two starts and is looking to make up for a rough start against Oakland in July when he allowed 10 hits and five earned runs in five innings. Athletics LHP Sean Manaea (10-10, 4.05 ERA) is winless in four starts against Houston this season.
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