Irvin fuels A's win over Astros for first sweep of season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
As the Athletics continue their second-half redemption run, they managed to do something on Wednesday that they haven’t done all season.
Oakland got its first series sweep of the year, and it came over the Houston Astros.
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Yes, you read that right. The AL-worst A’s swept the AL West-leading Astros. They are the first team to sweep the Astros this season.
"Any time you can sweep a team at this level, it's always a good thing," A’s starter Cole Irvin said.
Oh, and the A’s have now won six of their last eight against Houston.
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Irvin continued his impressive July with another strong outing on Wednesday.
The lefty struck out four, walked one and allowed four hits over seven innings, retiring 12 in a row.
"You just can't say enough about the way he's been pitching," A’s catcher Stephen Vogt said. "He does such a good job keeping everybody off balance. He works quick, and hitters don't like that."
Irvin’s five starts in July pretty much speak for themselves.
vs. TOR - 8 IP, 1 ER, 4 H
vs. HOU - 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H
@ HOU - 6 IP, 1 ER, 3 H
vs. TEX - 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H
vs. HOU - 7 IP, 2 ER, 4 H
Also impressive -- the team as a whole since returning from the All-Star break. The A’s are 6-2 since the break.
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It also was a big day for the Stephens. Stephen Vogt and Stephen Piscotty had back-to-back homers in front of Warriors star Stephen Curry, who threw out the first pitch alongside his wife Ayesha.
It was an overall great day in Oakland, and the A’s will look to bring the momentum with them on the road.
