Brent Rooker’s Oakland A’s beat the Houston Astros

JP Sears #38 of the Oakland Athletics throws against the Houston Astros in the top of the first inning on May 25, 2024 at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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 is the team’s only healthy 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 in front of an announced Coliseum crowd of 10,617.

Brent Rooker hit a two-run double in the first for the A’s, who earned their first win 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 clinch its second straight series win. He gave up four straight 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 a strikeout and a walk. Mason Miller homered in the ninth for his 10th save, capping three innings of noise from Oakland’s bullpen.

Sears retired the first batter in each inning after the first, and his slider and sinker worked effectively.

“Just a good, efficient day,” Sears said.

He felt he could have pitched more on Saturday but understood manager Mark Kotsay didn’t want to push him.

“A lot of the season is trying to be available as much as I can,” Sears said.

Kotsay said he’s confident the bullpen will pick up where Sears left off and that the team will continue to rely on the 28-year-old’s durability.

In addition to being without 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 the fourth arm of the rotation to hit 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 was unable to get out of the frame.

Boyle failed to record an outing in his first rehab session on Friday with a back strain, Blackburn is ruled out with a stress reaction in his right leg and Wood has rotator cuff tendinitis.

“By April, we had all five guys in the rotation, and in May, we lost four of five,” Kotsay said. “So for JP, testament to his resilience. He’s coming off a year where he made all 32 (starts), and I know he’s determined to do it again. That’s his mentality.”

Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti (2-5) settled 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 couldn’t 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, poor contact everywhere. 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 an announced crowd of 12,212 on May 5 for a game against Miami on Youth Baseball & Softball Day. .