OAKLAND — Marco Estrada got off to a poor start and Alex Bregman broke the game open with a grand slam in the fourth inning Tuesday night as the A’s opened an eight-game homestand at the Coliseum with a 9-1 loss to the division-leading Houston Astros.
Collin McHugh (3-1) was the winning pitcher for Houston, working six shutout innings and giving up just two hits with two walks and five strikeouts before departing in favor of relievers Josh James, Reymin Guduan and Chris Devenski.
The A’s, who were off Monday and had a rainout Saturday, fell to 10-10 before 12,270 fans, their smallest crowd of the season.