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7-run 1st helps A's rout Astros

Apr 19, 2014 - 6:57 AM Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Yoenis Cespedes went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI and Alberto Callaspo added a three-run shot as the Oakland Athletics hammered the Houston Astros, 11-3, in the opener of a three-game set.

Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick both hit two-run homers for the Athletics, winners in five of their last six games.

"Got off to a good start today, got a crooked number in the first inning," A's manager Bob Melvin said.

Sonny Gray (3-0) allowed three runs on nine hits and struck out four over six innings to pick up the win.

George Springer, Dexter Fowler and Chris Carter had one RBI apiece for the Astros, losers in five straight.

The A's did most of their damage in the first inning, pushing seven runs across. With the bases loaded and one out, Cespedes ripped a single to center to score Jed Lowrie and Josh Donaldson. Callaspo followed with a three-run homer and John Jaso walked ahead of Reddick's homer to right-center, which knocked Astros starter Jarred Cosart (1-2) out of the game.

Cespedes clobbered a moonshot to left in the second for an 8-0 edge.

Houston broke through for three runs in the fifth. After Johnathan Villar and Jose Altuve opened the inning with back-to-back singles, Fowler lofted a base hit to shallow right to bring Villar around. Two batters later, Springer drove in the first run of his career with a base hit to center. After Marc Krauss walked, Carter lifted a sacrifice fly to right to bring Fowler home.

Crisp hammered a two-run homer to right-center in the home half for a 10-3 lead.

Josh Fields entered the game with two outs and the bases loaded in the seventh and threw four straight balls to Donaldson to force home a run. He got Brandon Moss to pop out to end the threat.

Game Notes

Earlier on Friday, the Athletics agreed to terms with pitcher Sean Doolittle on a new five-year contract. The contract will run through 2018 with club options for both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Donaldson had a 10-game hitting streak snapped ... Oakland was 3-for-9 with RISP ... Houston's Matt Dominguez had a seven-game hitting streak snapped ... Houston finished just 2-for-10 with RISP ... Springer stole his first major league base.