Paul Blackburn has been the Athletics’ most consistent starting pitcher this season, but even he couldn’t prevent a 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros Monday at the Coliseum.
The A.L. West leaders, behind left-handed starter Framber Valdez, shut down the A’s offense one day after a season-high 14 hits against Texas.
It was Blackburn’s first loss of the season after five wins and came before a Memorial Day crowd of 8,753. He pitched respectably but gave up a season-high four earned runs. Valdez, in improving to 5-2, threw the first nine-inning complete game of his career. He allowed just two hits and five baserunners, walking three and striking out seven while throwing 114 pitches.
The A’s had won eight times in Blackburn’s previous nine starts.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez #44 celebrates his solo home run off Oakland Athletics relief pitcher A.J. Puk #33 with Jeremy Pena #3 in the eighth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Houston, 31-18, got two gargantuan home runs from Yordan Álvarez, his 13th and 14th, and one from José Altuve, his 10th. The A’s fell to 20-31 and 10-20 in May, a month which has seen them drop to the bottom of the division standings.
“I thought Paul pitched better than his line,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “The ball Altuve hit, off the bat I thought it would be an out. It just kept carrying.”
While Blackburn was generally pretty good, Valdez was simply better, albeit against an inferior lineup to his own. The only other complete game for Valdez came when he was the losing pitcher in a six-inning effort against Detroit last June 26 in the first game of a doubleheader.
Houston pitcher Framber Valdez pitched the first nine-inning complete game of his career, beating the A’s 5-1 Monday at the Coliseum. Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group
“That’s a bulldog right there,” Kotsay said. “A really impressive day on his end. His breaking ball is really a weapon and he’s got 95 (mph) on pitch 112 in the ninth inning. A tough day for us offensively. Sometimes you have to tip your cap to the opposing pitcher.”
The two home runs by Álvarez totaled 913 feet in distance and with exit velocities of 113.9 and 110.1 miles per hour. The first came off Blackburn, the second off A.J. Puk.
Blackburn’s day ended after 6 2/3 innings on a play in which a Chad Pinder throwing error at first resulted in a collision at first base between Altuve and Christian Bethancourt.
“Today I felt good — probably the best I’ve felt all year,” Blackburn said. “I was getting soft contact. The one bad pitch was the 3-1 to Alvarez that was elevated. I felt like I executed 90 percent of my game plan today. Sometimes it goes like that.”
After five hitless innings, Kevin Smith doubled to lead off the sixth, pulling up slightly and leaving the game with an injury in favor of runner Seth Brown. The A’s got on the scoreboard when Ramón Laureano beat the Houston shift and drove a ground single to right-center, scoring Brown.
The Astros extended their lead to 4-0 against Blackburn in the fifth inning. José Siri was hit by a pitch with one out, stole second and scored on a jam-shot single to left by Martín Maldonado.
Altuve was next, drawing the usual chorus of boos that have followed him since the Houston sign-stealing scandal of 2019. The boos were silenced momentarily when Altuve hit a two-run home run to right-center, a wall-scraper that barely cleared the fence
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve #27 hits a two-run home run off Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn #58 in the fifth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Blackburn had given up just one home run in his previous nine starts before Álvarez connected in a big way leading off the fourth inning.
The ball landed above the suites in right-center field, 469 feet away — tied for the third-longest home run in the majors this season behind a 496-foot moonshot hit Monday at Coors Field by Marlins outfielder Jesús Sánchez and a 472-foot blast by the Angels’ Mike Trout.
It was Álvarez’ third career home run against Blackburn in nine at-bats.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Oakland Athletics first baseman Christian Bethancourt #23 and Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve #27 lay on the field after colliding during a play in the seventh inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
NOTABLE
— The nasty collision with Altuve and Bethancourt at first base ended with both players staying in the game.
— Smith, who earlier in the game made his first error of the season at third base, left the game after a sliding attempt at a foul ball near the A’s dugout. Kotsay said no tests are necessary and the hope is Smith will be available Tuesday night.
— Parker Markel and Domingo Tapia made their A’s debuts one day after being called up from Triple-A Las Vegas. Markel got a pair of outs and walked two in 2/3 of an inning. Tapia threw a scoreless ninth.
“Both of them got through their innings, so the first impression overall is good,” Kotsay said.
Tapia was not allowed to wear a glove that had a patch of white leather (a potential distraction to hitters) and was forced to wear a blue glove from his days with the Kansas City Royals organization.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Houston Astros’ Jose Siri #26 is safe after hitting a triple as Oakland Athletics third baseman Kevin Smith #1 takes the throw in the third inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Oakland Athletics fans watch from left field in the third inning of their MLB game against the Houston Astros at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn #58 watches as Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez #44 rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez #44 is congratulated by Yuli Gurriel #10 after hitting a solo home run off Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn #58 in the fourth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Houston Astros’ Jose Siri #26 is safe on a steal attempt as Oakland Athletics second baseman Sheldon Neuse #26 loses control of the ball on the tag in the fifth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve #27 is congratulated by Martin Maldonado #15 after hitting a two-run home run off Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn #58 in the fifth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez #44 is congratulated by teammates after hitting a solo home run off Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn #58 in the fourth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Oakland Athletics’ Seth Brown #15 scores past Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado #15 on a single by Ramon Laureano #22 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Parker Markel throws against the Houston Astros in the eighth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Oakland Athletics’ Seth Brown #15 is congratulated by Elvis Andrus #17 after scoring on a single by Ramon Laureano #22 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Oakland Athletics fans do the wave in the seventh inning of their MLB game against the Houston Astros at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Oakland Athletics relief pitcher A.J. Puk #33 throws against the Houston Astros in the seventh inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Houston Astros relief pitcher Framber Valdez #59 and catcher Martin Maldonado #15 celebrate their 5-1 MLB over the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: Houston Astros relief pitcher Framber Valdez, #59 Jose Siri, #26 Mauricio Dubon #14 and catcher Martin Maldonado #15 celebrate their 5-1 MLB over the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
