OAKLAND – Astros manager A.J. Hinch will have plenty to ponder after sticking with Mike Fiers and reliever Josh Fields too long Monday afternoon against the A’s.
Brought in with the score tied and two on after Fiers walked the first two batters in the sixth inning, Fields retired only one batter while letting the A’s take control.
The A’s capitalized for six runs in the sixth and then held on for a 10-9 victory before a crowd of 22,214 at O.co Coliseum.
Jonathan Villar’s solo home run and Carlos Correa’s three-run home run helped the Astros cut the deficit to 8-6 in the top of the seventh, but Josh Phegley’s two-run home run off Vince Velasquez in the bottom of the seventh provided just enough cushion for the A’s to win the first game of a three-game series.