OAKLAND – JP Sears was the only pitcher to spend the entire season in the Oakland A’s rotation last year. Now, after another injury to the A’s staff, he’s the team’s lone healthy regular starter.
Sears responded Saturday, allowing one unearned run and two hits in six solid innings as the A’s beat the Houston Astros 3-1 before an announced Coliseum crowd of 10,617.
Brent Rooker hit a two-run double in the first for the A’s, who picked up their first victory over the Astros this season after dropping the first five games.
With a win today in the final game of the three-game set, Oakland could earn its second straight series win. The A’s had dropped four straight series before taking two of three against Colorado earlier this week.
Sears (4-3) bounced back from a loss in Kansas City in his last start by shutting down the Astros in a 68-pitch performance that included one strikeout and one walk. Mason Miller struck out the side in the ninth for his 10th save, capping three shutout innings by Oakland’s bullpen.
Sears retired the first batter of each inning after the first, and his slider and sinker worked effectively.
“Just a good, efficient day,” Sears said.
He felt as though he could have pitched longer Saturday, but understood that manager Mark Kotsay didn’t want to push him.
“A big part of the season is just trying to be available as much as I can,” Sears said.
Kotsay said he trusted the bullpen to pick up where Sears left off and that the team will continue to lean on the 28-year-old’s durability.
Besides not having injured starters Joe Boyle, Paul Blackburn and Alex Wood, the A’s are now without Ross Stripling, who was placed on the injured list with a strained throwing elbow, making him their fourth rotation arm to hit the IL this month.
Stripling was perfect through three innings in Friday night’s loss to the Astros, then allowed six runs in the fourth and failed to make it out of the frame.
Boyle failed to record an out in his first rehab session on Friday due to a lower back strain, Blackburn is sidelined with a stress reaction in his right foot, and Wood has rotator cuff tendonitis.
“Through April, we had all five guys in the rotation and in May, we’ve lost four of five,” Kotsay said. “So for JP, testament to his resiliency. He’s coming off a year where he made all 32 (starts), and I know that he’s determined to do that again. That’s his mindset.”
Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti (2-5) settled down after allowing the first three batters to reach. But Rooker’s double down the left-field line scored both Abraham Toro and JJ Bleday to provide enough offense for the A’s.
Arrighetti gave up three runs and five hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked three.
Houston failed to get much going against the A’s pitching, shortstop Jeremy Peña said.
“He was just inducing outs,” Peña said of Sears. “We were putting the ball in play, weak contact all over. But that’s what pitchers do.”
Daz Cameron added an RBI single in the sixth after Houston scored an unearned run in the top half of the inning.
Saturday’s attendance marked the team’s third-largest home crowd of the season, after 13,522 showed up for the Opening Night game against Cleveland on March 28, and a crowd of 12,212 was announced on May 5 for a game against Miami on Youth Baseball & Softball Day.
Saturday was Taiwanese Heritage Day, and Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson was in attendance.
Earlier Saturday, Oakland called up left-handed starter Jack O’Loughlin from Triple-A Las Vegas and reliever Tyler Ferguson. To make room for O’Loughlin in the 40-man roster, the A’s designated Brandon Bielak for assignment just three appearances after they acquired him from Houston in a cash deal earlier this month.
O’Loughlin appears on track to make his major league debut next time Stripling’s turn in the rotation comes up. After six years in the Tigers’ organization, the 24-year-old Australian joined the A’s over the offseason. He has a 5.12 earned-run average and 38 2/3 innings pitched over 10 appearances (eight starts) in Las Vegas.
Ferguson made his MLB debut for the A’s earlier this season and has allowed four earned runs in 6 1/3 innings over six relief appearances at the top level.
