Astros 0 - 5 Athletics
Final
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Athletics try to salvage finale with Astros

Aug 15, 2013 - 2:11 PM (Sports Network) - There's nothing like a visit from the woeful Houston Astros to cure your ills, right? Well not if you are the Oakland Athletics, who will try to salvage the finale of their three-game set with the Astros on Thursday at O.co Coliseum.

Heading into this series Oakland had won 16 of the first 18 meetings between these clubs. However, the Astros have taken the first two games and on Wednesday, Carlos Corporan clubbed a go-ahead double in the top of the 11th inning to lift Houston to a 2-1 victory.

Oakland center fielder Chris Young, who pulled a potential game-winning two- run homer just foul in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 5-4 setback, nearly ended Wednesday's tilt in the 10th when he lifted a towering fly ball to left with two outs.

Houston left fielder Robbie Grossman, though, tracked the ball perfectly to the wall before making a leaping grab to rob Young of a home run and extend the game.

"I'm doing something wrong in life," Young said of his bad luck. "I need to change. I've been hitting some balls hard, and when you hit balls hard, you need to get the results."

Jose Altuve then smacked a one-out single in the 11th and raced all the way home when Corporan doubled off the top of the wall in left-center field to give Houston a 2-1 edge.

Brandon Moss plated the lone run of the game for the A's, who lost for the sixth time in their last nine games and have fallen two games behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West.

Sean Doolittle (3-4) was tagged with the loss after giving up Corporan's go- ahead double in the 11th.

Hoping to give the Astros a sweep on Thursday will be lefty Erik Bedard, who is 3-9 with a 4.28 ERA and has dropped his last five decisions. Bedard, though, didn't factor in his team's 9-5 loss to Texas on Friday, as he allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.

"We have a young team," Bedard said. "You're going to go through spurts like that, and you try to get through it."

In 13 starts versus the A's he is 4-4 with a 3.50 ERA.

Oakland, meanwhile, will counter with right-handed rookie Sonny Gray, who will be making his second big league start. Gray lost to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday and surrendered four runs (2 earned) and four hits in six innings. In three appearances this season he is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA.

Despite losing the first two games of this set Oakland is 11-3 against the Astros this season.






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