Jake Meyers capped a six-run fourth inning with a three-run homer, Justin Verlander won again at one of his favorite road sites and the Houston Astros opened a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics with a 6-3 victory Friday night.
In the rematch of a four-game set the Astros swept in Houston last week, Oakland led 1-0 before the visitors jumped all over A’s starter Ross Stripling (1-9) in the decisive fourth inning.
Consecutive infield singles by Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker set the stage for the Astros, who tied the score on an RBI double by Yordan Alvarez and then took the lead for good on a two-RBI single by Alex Bregman.
Jon Singleton singled one out later to put two aboard for Meyers, who bombed his sixth home run of the season, a three-run shot well over the fence in left field to give Houston a 6-1 lead.
Verlander (3-2) coasted from there, making it through six innings despite allowing eight hits. He limited the A’s to two runs (one earned) with nine strikeouts and no walks.
The win was the 12th of the 41-year-old’s career in Oakland, a site at which he’s gone 9-4 in the regular season and 3-0 in the postseason, including wins in the decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series for the Detroit Tigers in 2012 and ’13.
Stripling gave up two more hits, but no more runs, before being pulled after 3 2/3 innings, charged with six runs on eight hits. He struck out three without walking anyone.
The A’s, who rallied twice from four-run deficits to beat the Colorado Rockies 10-9 on Thursday, chipped away at the Houston lead on JJ Bleday’s solo home run, his eighth, off Verlander in the fifth and an RBI single by Miguel Andujar, his second of the night, in the seventh.
Protecting a 6-3 lead, Ryan Pressly worked a 1-2-3 eighth before closer Josh Hader retired the A’s in order with two strikeouts in the ninth for his seventh save.
Altuve had three singles, while Alvarez and Singleton collected two hits apiece for the Astros, who outscored the A’s 22-4 in last week’s sweep.