Correa's 12th-inning single sends Astros past A's
HOUSTON -- Carlos Correa lined a walk-off single to right field in the 12th inning and the Houston Astros claimed a 6-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday at Minute Maid Park.
George Springer opened the 12th with a double to right against Athletics closer Ryan Madson (2-2) and reached third base when Jose Altuve followed with a sacrifice bunt. Correa hit the first pitch of his at-bat as Houston (27-30) won for the 10th time in 12 games.
The Astros squandered an insurance opportunity while leading 5-4 in the eighth when Correa reached on a leadoff triple yet was left there when Oakland left-hander Sean Doolittle struck out Colby Rasmus, Luis Valbuena and Marwin Gonzalez.
That failure proved costly when Astros closer Luke Gregerson blew his second consecutive save, allowing a two-out solo home run to Oakland second baseman Jed Lowrie. It was Lowrie's first homer this season.
Catcher Evan Gattis had the biggest blow in the Astros' second-inning rally, drilling a 2-2 pitch from Athletics right-hander Kendall Graveman 381 feet to left field. Gattis followed Rasmus, who doubled leading off the inning, and cut the Oakland lead to 3-2.
Valbuena followed with a single to left and later scored the tying run when Jake Marisnick lined a sacrifice fly to right.
The Athletics (25-31) had scored three times against Astros right-hander Collin McHugh in the top of the second only to immediately cough up the lead.
Correa scored the go-ahead run an inning later, reaching after being hit by a Graveman pitch and coming around to score when Rasmus doubled again.
Correa added an RBI single in the fifth.
Graveman allowed five runs, seven hits and one walk in 4 1/3 innings. He uncorked one wild pitch and struck out one batter in an uneven performance that again forced Oakland into its bullpen early.
McHugh scuffed in the second, issuing a leadoff walk to Danny Valencia before Khris Davis and Yonder Alonso followed with singles to load the bases with no outs. McHugh rallied to strike out Marcus Semien but then surrendered a two-run double to Chris Coghlan and a sacrifice fly to Josh Phegley that gave the Athletics a 3-0 lead.
Valencia added a home run, his ninth of the season, off McHugh in the sixth, but the Houston bullpen preserved the one-run lead after McHugh.
Right-hander Scott Feldman (3-3) picked up the win for the Astros.
NOTES: Athletics RHP Sonny Gray will return from the 15-day disabled list and pitch the series finale against the Astros on Sunday. Gray was placed on the DL on May 21 because of a strained right trapezius. He will skip his scheduled rehab start for High A Stockton to rejoin the Athletics. ... Athletics LHP Rich Hill, scratched from his start on Saturday because of a mild groin strain, could return for the Reds series June 10-12. ... Astros C Jason Castro returned to the starting lineup after missing four games because of an illness. ... Athletics LHP Daniel Coulombe was recalled from Triple A Nashville to replace RHP Andrew Triggs, who was optioned to Nashville. Coulombe joins the Athletics, for whom he has a 4.76 ERA in three appearances, for the third time this season. Triggs posted an 8.00 ERA in 10 relief appearances with the Athletics.