Hit five home runs, and a team has to like its chances of winning.
The A's simply couldn't keep up with the Houston Astros' bats, however, in an 11-8 loss Wednesday night that snapped Oakland's four-game winning streak. Khris Davis went deep twice, and Ryon Healy, Jed Lowrie and Matt Olson all went deep as the A's set their season high for home runs.
But Houston racked up 17 hits against Jesse Hahn (3-6) and four relievers and evened this three-game series at a game apiece. It was the second time Hahn has gotten knocked around by Houston inside of a week.
The A's took an early lead, 5-4, in the third on the second of Davis' two homers, part of a four-run rally for Oakland. But the Astros answered right back with five runs in the bottom half, and the A's never recovered from that momentum swing.
Hahn's struggles continue: Hahn was trying to rebound after the Astros hung nine earned runs on him last Thursday at the Coliseum. Things didn't improve Wednesday at Minute Maid Park, as the right-hander lasted just two-plus innings and allowed six runs on nine hits. Is this a case of one team simply having Hahn's number or do the A's make a move and try someone else in the rotation? It bears watching.
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Krush Davis x 2: It was apparent early this would be a slugfest, with Khris Davis homering twice within the first three innings as the A's tried to keep pace. He led off the second with a shot to left field, then came back with a three-run blast to left in the third that put Oakland up 5-4. The homers were his team-leading 20th and 21st.
Reddick-ulous night: Josh Reddick filled up the stat sheet against his old team in every way imaginable. He went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs, and twice caught the A's by surprise by stealing third base. For good measure, he turned in an excellent running catch in right field to rob Yonder Alonso.
Strange offensive night: What to make of this night offensively for the A's? They hit a season-high five homers but also struck out a whopping 17 times. No matter … you can't hang this one on the offense, because …
The pitching staff just couldn't hold things down: Josh Smith was called upon to hold down the fort after Hahn departed in the third, but Smith was tagged for three runs on four hits. Daniel Coulombe and John Axford also got touched for runs. Rookie Michael Brady did turn in 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
