HOUSTON -- Shake it off, Gerrit Cole. Your Astros teammates have your back.
Not long after Cole faced a four-run hole by giving up a pair of infrequent home runs, the Astros erupted for five runs in a whirlwind third inning and didn't let up, securing an 11-4 win over the A's in an American League West showdown on Monday night at Minute Maid Park.
The first-place Astros won their sixth consecutive game to bump their lead in the AL West to 2 1/2 games over the second-place A's.