Khris “Khrush” Davis’ drove in three runs with a pair of extra base hits, Chad Pinder’s walloped a three run homer and Chris Bassitt did just enough to hold the Astros offense down, allowing the A’s to take game three of this four game series, 8-3, in front of a sell-out crowd at Minute Maid Park in Houston. ***Click Here for Tonight’s GameThread *** In the first three seasons the A’s competed against the Astros in the American League West (2013-2015), the A’s absolutely owned the Astros. In fact in their first season competing in the same division together (2013), the A’s won the season series 15-4! The A’s were thorougly in the heads of Bo Porter and Houston. Then late in the 2016 season, the Astros swept home and home series from the A’s and reversed the physical and psychological advantage Oakland had on them. Since that 2016 summer, it seems like the boys in Green and Gold have been dominated by the ‘Stros in every facet of the game. In fact heading into this week’s series, the A’s had dropped 8 of 9 against Houston in this season’s matchup and lost 26 of 34 games against the Astros since those fateful late summer 2016 games. Then came this series. The A’s have not only shown they can compete against Houston, they have shown that they can consistently beat the reigning World Champs. Could this be a signal of the tides changing in the AL West? Athletics Nation sure hopes so. A’s starter, Chris Bassitt (2-3) went 5 innings (85 pitches), allowing 3 runs on 5 hits to get the win for Oakland on “Replica World Series Ring” night in Houston. In Bassitt’s first 5 starts of the 2018 season, the A’s offense scored a grand total of 3 runs while he was on the mound. Tonight, the A’s scored 3 runs for Bassitt after 6 batters. This was mainly due to Khris Davis’ clutch one out double to plate Marcus Semien and Jed Lowrie who had both walked off of Lance McCullers Jr (10-4). Davis’ double extended his career high hit streak to 13 games. After a Stephen Piscotty single moved Davis to third, Matt Chapman delivered a sacrifice fly to score the A’s third run of the inning and give Bassitt his first cushion of his 2018 season. Bassit set down the first 8 of the first 9 Houston batters he faced, not allowing a hit until the 4th inning. Speaking of the 4th inning, that is when the A’s scored next, thanks to utilityman extraordinare, Chad Pinder. On a 0-2 pitch, here is what Pinder did: It's the Chad Pinder's 3-run HR puts A's ahead 6-0 in top 4th pic.twitter.com/Hk9twnpksX — A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) July 12, 2018 Pinder’s homer was his 9th on the season and for those of us too lazy to look it up (or remember stats) on our own, here is the A’s homerun leader board so far for in 2018: Khrush Davis: 21 Matt Olson: 19 Jed Lowrie: 16 Mark Canha and Stephen Piscotty: 11 Matt Chapman: 10 Chad Pinder: 9 The Astros answered back in the bottom of the 4th on a Yuli Gurriel single that drove home Jacob Bregman and Jose Altuve, to cut the A’s lead to 6-2. With the sellout crowd shifting the momentum and the Astros threating with nobody out, Bassit dug down and composed himself retiring Josh Reddick on a flyball and Evan Gattis and Preston Tucker on goundouts to quiet the ‘Stros rally and keep the A’s up by four runs. Speaking of Gattis, neutralizing him so far in this series has been a real key. Everyone knows Altuve, Springer and Brugman are going to get their share of hits. The key is to hold down guys like Evan “Babe Ruth” Gattis who torched the A’s for 10 RBI’s in back to back games in Oakland earlier this season. So far in this series, Oakland pitching has retired Gattis 13 consecutive times. Kudos to the A’s staff (and advance scouts) for figuring out how to get the bearded lumberjack out. Bassitt and a trio of relivers (Emilio Pagan for two innings, Ryan Dull for an inning and Ryan Buchter for an inning) held the Astros offense to 3 runs on 7 hits on the evening. Although the A’s had a very unlucky 11th inning last night, overall they have been very lucky to face the Astros in a week where they are missing the key bats of shortstop Carlos Correa (10 Day DL), catcher Brian McCann (10 Day DL) and utility player, Marwin Gonzales (day-to-day). But with Bassitt being the 12th starting pitcher to start a game for the A’s this season, forgive BoMel and the boys for not feeling much sympathy. Melvin was hoping to give A’s first baseman Matt Olson a breather tonight (back tightness), but unfortunately, Olson had to enter the game in the Bottom of the 5th after Stephen Piscotty was forced out with a right wrist contusion after being hit in the hand by a Lance McCullers Jr. 85 mph changeup. The good news is that early reports indicate Piscotty will be okay: Piscotty had X-rays. No break. — Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) July 12, 2018 With the A’s dodging a bullet on Piscotty’s injury, the one injury item to come out today that isn’t as positive comes from the A’s minor league system where A’s Top Prospect, Catcher, Sean Murphy, will miss the All-Star Futures Game this Sunday and perhaps the rest of the season with a broken “Jose Canseco” bone (hamate bone). With the A’s in command, leading 6-3, conventional wisdom said the team still needed a few runs to ensure closer Blake Treinen would get the night off. Enter one Khrush Davis yet again: Khris Khrushing Davis RBI triple gives A's a 7-3 lead in bottom 6th pic.twitter.com/lHvP2RIe87 — A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) July 12, 2018 The A’s tacked on an 8th run for good measure in the 9th inning off Astros rookie lefthander, Cionel Perez who was making his MLB debut (and had the game delayed for a necklace malfunction). The A’s plated this 9th inning run on a Chapman single, a Pinder walk and a RBI single from catcher, Josh Phegley. So after 3 games in Houston, the A’s have taken 2 of 3 and have the return of Trevor Cahill tomorrow morning for the finale from Houston (Gametime tomorrow is at 12:10pm PST). A’s Nation, lots to be excited about, the best team in baseball since June 16th (18-6) is your Oakland A’s!<doc-sep>It will not be as easy this year. The Astros needed Game 7 of the World Series to win it all for the first time in 2017. But they were the American League’s best team for much of the season, and their superiority in the AL West was never in doubt. A year later, A.J. Hinch’s club returned to the home clubhouse after falling 6-4 to Oakland on Thursday with the second-highest victory total in baseball as the All-Star break approaches. But Boston is becoming the team to beat, while the Yankees are just one win behind Hinch’s team and involved in major trade-deadline rumors. Then there’s the division that the Astros absolutely owned last year, winning by 21 games and leading by 16½ at the break. Seattle hasn’t gone away in 2018 and entered Thursday just three games out of first. The Angels entered Thursday still one game above .500. And the constantly retooling/rebuilding/readjusting team that struggles to fill its own ballpark by the Bay? The Bob Melvin-Billy Beane Athletics are 53-41 after taking three of four games from the AL West leaders at Minute Maid Park. For the Astros (62-34), the season-long focus will always be centered upon a second consecutive world title. But with the Midsummer Classic days away, the post-break run toward the playoffs could see Hinch’s team, the Mariners and A’s all pushing each other for the 2018 division crown. Seattle will play the Astros 13 times after the break. Hinch: Division underrated “Four winning teams,” said Hinch, referring to a much-improved AL West. “We’re not looking in the rearview mirror for anybody. But I will tell you that we’re well aware of the quality of our division. It’s been underrated the entire season. People talk about the East all the time. You should talk about the West a little bit more, because there’s teams that can really beat you.” ON TEXAS SPORTS NATION: Bullpen blows another late lead Oakland was the better team before 38,900 on Thursday, turning a 4-0 fourth-inning deficit into a two-run victory via 11 hits, sharp fielding and Mark Canha’s game-changing two-run single during a three-run eighth. The Astros’ bullpen was smooth until Chris Devenski gave up four hits and three runs. The game was tied at 4 until Canha’s shot disappeared from TV camera view — the next sight was Josh Reddick running in from the left-field corner as the ball bounced away — and the A’s won for the 19th time in 24 games. “The last four games stunk. I'll tell you that straight up,” said Reddick, who spent 2012-16 with Oakland. “(The A's) are playing really good baseball. They've got a good, young core over there that can really play.” More Information Astros denounce slur by Papa John's exec In a statement released late Thursday night, the Astros condemned a racial slur hurled by Papa John's founder John Schnatter but gave no indication they will cease their partnership with Houston Pizza Venture, the Houston business that owns the local Papa John's franchises. "The Astros are incredibly disappointed with the statements made by Papa John's founder John Schnatter," the team said in a statement. "We do not condone discrimination in any context and his comments do not reflect the mission, vision and values of our organization. The Astros are proud of our 10-year partnership with Houston Pizza Venture, a local Houston business and owner of the local franchises. We feel confident that the local franchisees and their employees share the Astros commitment to diversity and inclusiveness." Schnatter, the founder and CEO of Papa John's, admitted to using a racial slur during a May conference call. He resigned as chairman of the company's board on Wednesday. Both the Marlins and Rays ceased their relationships with the pizza company on Thursday. In December, Schnatter relinquished his title as CEO after controversial comments regarding the NFL's handling of national anthem protests. There is one prominent Papa John's sign along the outfield wall at Minute Maid Park - along the facade of a balcony in left-center field next to the Phillips 66 home run pump. "At Houston Pizza Venture, we believe in tolerance and equality," Houston Pizza Venture owner and president Keith Sullins. "I want everyone in the city of Houston to know that Mr. Schnatter's statements are indefensible and in no way represent the views of anyone in our company." As part of their partnership, there is a "Win-Day" deal that offers customers 50 percent off their Wednesday pizza purchase if the Astros won on Tuesday. Patrons are also invited to use the promo code "Altuve" for a discount on orders any time Jose Altuve homers inside Minute Maid Park. Chandler Rome See More Collapse The Astros are missing a few pieces and need a few July off days. Carlos Correa won’t take the field until the All-Star break is over. Ken Giles was unceremoniously shipped to Class AAA Fresno. Tyler White (.194 batting average) and Kyle Tucker, who could be playing at Minute Maid in the next decade but just debuted in the majors, were the final hitters in a ninth inning that never teased walkoff magic. The lone win the Astros took from Oakland required a surreal Alex Bregman game-winner and needed 11 innings after the Astros’ bullpen blew a 4-0 lead in the ninth. “The A's don't get a lot of credit for how good they truly are,” said George Springer, whose .248 average is in need of a second-half spark. “I don't understand why they don't get a lot of credit for it. But they're a good team. They can compete with anybody and beat anybody.” I normally say that about the Astros. First things first Three more pre-break home games against Detroit (40-55) should fix that. But Seattle is 99 percent for real, the A’s are only getting hotter, the Angels have Mike Trout, and even the Rangers win sometimes. SOLOMON: Outburst isn't the reason for Astros demoting Ken Giles It’s impossible to picture the Astros not making the playoffs. At full strength and roaring away, they’re obviously strong enough to win it all again. But 2018 isn’t just about the back-to-back championship tour. First on the list: surviving and winning the AL West. “You’re not always going to have a 15-game lead every year,” Springer said. “This division is extremely tough, and it makes it fun to play. …Whenever you’re in first place, you’re always the hunted.” Especially when you're the reigning world champs. brian.smith@chron.com twitter.com/chronbriansmith<doc-sep>HOUSTON - Coming into the series at Minute Maid Park, the question was: Could red-hot Oakland keep up the pace against AL West foes? The A’s had done most of their damage the past month against the other two divisions and against NL teams. Facing the defending champions in their home yard, no problem, as it turned out. Oakland took three of four from the Astros, scoring yet another late comeback victory, this time 6-4. The A’s, who scored three runs in the eighth inning, improved to a season-high 12 games over .500. their best record since the end of the 2014 season. And Oakland’s 19-5 record over the past 24 games is the best in the majors in that span. Khris Davis started things off for the A’s in the eighth by extending his career-best hitting streak to 14 in a row, the longest active streak in the majors, with a base hit off Chris Devenski. Matt Olson also singled, and Matt Chapman smacked a 3-2 pitch down the line in left to send in Davis and tie the game 4-4. With one out, Mark Canha lifted another 3-2 pitch into the corner in left, driving in two more. After a replay review, the call stood: fair ball, and Oakland had the lead. Oakland’s 69 runs in the eighth inning lead the majors. The A’s have scored the winning run in the eighth inning or later in 10 of their past 23 wins dating to June 3. ON TEXAS SPORTS NATION: Astros staple Javier Bracamonte to pitch in at All-Star HR derby Oakland had started chipping away at Houston’s lead in the fifth. Chad Pinder and Canha singled and Jonathan Lucroy walked to load the bases for Nick Martini, whose double to center scored two men. Stephen Piscotty, back in the lineup with a large welt on his left wrist after getting hit by a pitch Wednesday, added a single to push Lucroy across. Canha, playing center, had a terrific day in the field, making a rolling catch to rob Alex Bregman of a hit in the seventh and, on the next play, throwing out Jose Altuve trying to stretch a single into a double. Trevor Cahill came off the disabled list to make the start for Oakland after missing a month with an Achilles tendon strain, and he allowed just a walk in the first two innings, but in the third, his control went really wonky. He walked two men, a wild pitch moved the runners up, and Alex Bregman sent in both with a double to left. Cahill wound up throwing 36 pitches in the inning, a lot for anyone, but especially with just one rehab start under his belt. So when he gave up a two-out single to former A’s farmhand Max Stassi the next inning, Cahill came out. Chris Hatcher, on in relief, then gave up a homer to left by No. 9 hitter Tony Kemp, The A’s road trip continues - but they come home for it, with three games at San Francisco beginning Friday. Then, after the All-Star break, the teams meet again at the Coliseum. “It’s strange but there’s enough of a break in there so it doesn’t feel like you’re playing six consecutive games against one team, that can be uncomfortable,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “It’s not a good dynamic to have to play one team that many times in a row. It’s a little bit of a funky feel to it, it’s kind of a long road trip, but at least we get to sleep in our own beds.” Melvin, a former Giants catcher, always looks forward to the Bay Bridge series. “I kind of have to key down sometimes for that one, at least that’s what my players tell me,” he said with a laugh. “It’s just such a great crowd, it’s different than anything we do all year. Both fan bases in the same ballpark, there’s nothing like it.” Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser<doc-sep>
Once again the Oakland A’s came back late in the game to win it and take the four-game series from the reigning World Champion Houston Astros three games to one. The A’s have been so hot lately that they have won more games than any other team in baseball since June 16, having won 19 of their last 24 games. A's come back to beat Astros 6-4, take series at Houston three games to one. Oakland is a season-high 12 games over .500, team's best record since the end of the 2014 season, and A's 19-5 record over the past 24 games is the best in the majors in that span. — Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) July 12, 2018 The Early Scoring Astros: The Astros took an early lead against A’s starter Trevor Cahill. It was Cahill’s first start after being activated off of the disabled list earlier this morning. He had been out for about a month with a right Achilles strain. Still, he looked pretty good at first not allowing a hit in his first two innings of work and facing just one batter over the minimum, allowing a walk to Evan Gattis in the second. Unfortunately, the third didn’t exactly go in Cahill’s favor. He got his second strikeout of the day against Max Stassi to begin the bottom of the third, but it was a six-pitch at-bat and Cahill had to work for that third strike. He then walked both Tony Kemp and George Springer which added on to his pitch count, as he threw six pitches and eight pitches in the at-bats, respectively. With one out, now facing Alex Bregman, Cahill threw a wild pitch that allowed Kemp and Springer to move to second and third. On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Bregman took an 87 MPH cut-fastball and drove it into left field allowing both base runners to score. Cahill took another 11 pitches to get out of the inning, allowing a single to Yuri Gurriel, but getting both Jose Altuve to line-out and Josh Reddick to fly out. When all was said and done, the A’s were down two runs and Cahill’s pitch count had 36 pitches added to it. He had only needed 31 pitches to escape the first two innings of the game but now going into the fourth inning his count was starting to get high. In the bottom of the fourth, Cahill managed to get the first two batters, Gattis and Marwin Gonzalez, out but not before throwing another 12 pitches. He allowed a single to Max Stassi before A’s skipper Bob Melvin decided he’d thrown enough pitches (83) on his first day off of the disabled list and went to the bullpen, calling on Chris Hatcher. Hatcher immediately allowed a two-run homer to Kemp that scored the last of the Astros’ runs for the day. Cahill then ended his outing having gone 3.2 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three (that’s A LOT of threes right there, huh?). For the remainder of the game the A’s stellar bullpen held down the fort so the offense could do its thing in the later innings. Hatcher, Yusmeiro Petit, Ryan Bucther and Lou Trivino, who earned his fourth save of the season, held the Astros to just Kemp’s home run and a pair of walks. The Late Scoring A’s: As has been the norm lately, with their bullpen to back them up, the A’s offense made another late-inning comeback to win the game and, in this case, the series. The A’s closed the 4-0 gap in the fifth inning, putting three runs on the board. With Astros’ starter Charlie Morton still on the mound, Chad Pinder and Mark Canha opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Morton then issued a walk to Jonathan Lucroy and allowed a two-RBI double to Nick Martini, followed by an RBI-single to Stephen Piscotty, before being replaced by former-starter-turned-long-reliever Collin McHugh. Morton also had thrown quite a lot of pitches in the game and his day ended with 104 pitches with one out in the fifth. McHugh got the Astros out of the inning despite issuing a walk to Matt Olson but the damage had been done and the A’s were back in the game. In the eighth inning (go figure, as that just seems normal now, doesn’t it?)