Morton leads Astros past A's
HOUSTON -- Charlie Morton delivered a career-best strikeout performance and rode the support of multi-hit games from Yuli Gurriel and Evan Gattis to a 9-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night at Minute Maid Park.
Morton (2-2) worked a season-high seven innings and recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts. He allowed five hits and four runs, all coming via two home runs from Athletics left fielder Khris Davis, who posted his 13th career multi-homer game.
After falling into a 3-0 hole in the top of the first inning, the Astros (15-8) rallied to tie with three runs off Athletics right-hander Jharel Cotton (2-3) in the bottom half of that frame. Gurriel and Gattis delivered run-scoring hits in succession, with Gurriel cutting the deficit to one run with his RBI single before Gattis' ground-rule double into the right-field stands pulled the Astros even at 3-3.
Gurriel and Gattis both finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Gurriel, who clubbed his second homer in the seventh inning, also scored twice and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Houston finished 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Cotton allowed six runs (three earned) on 10 hits and one walk over 4 1/3 innings.
The Athletics (10-13) have dropped five consecutive games.
Excluding his issues with Davis, Morton pitched effectively. After Davis' second opposite-field homer gave the Athletics a 4-3 lead in the third inning, Morton struck out five of the following seven batters he faced.
Two of those two strikeouts were sandwiched around a Trevor Plouffe single to left that Plouffe attempted to stretch into a double before being erased at second on a throw from Nori Aoki.
The problems with Davis were glaring, however. Morton putt baserunners on in the first inning before Davis drove a 1-0 pitch into the home bullpen in right-center field for a 3-0 Athletics lead. Davis' solo shot to right field carried 395 feet on a line and seemed to negate the Astros' rally.
But when George Springer legged out an infield single with two outs in the fourth, Houston was even again, with Gattis scoring on the play.
Gattis struck again an inning later, chasing Cotton with an RBI single to left that scored Carlos Beltran.
NOTES: Athletics RHP Sonny Gray allowed two hits over six shutout innings for Triple-A Nashville on Thursday night in what was his second rehab start. Gray was placed on the disabled list on March 30 with a strained right lat. He could return to the Oakland rotation as early as next week depending in part on what the club does with LHP Sean Manaea, who departed his start on April 26 against the Los Angeles Angels with shoulder tightness. ... Astros CF Jake Marisnick appears poised to return from the 7-day concussion disabled list on Monday. Marisnick was concussed running into an outfield wall at Tampa Bay on April 23. ... Astros CF George Springer and 2B Jose Altuve returned to the starting lineup following brief injury hiatuses. Altuve injured his left shoulder during an outfield collision with Teoscar Hernandez on April 25. Springer dealt with a hamstring injury this week.