That went about as we should have expected.
The Oakland A’s had a date with Justin Verlander on Saturday, and the result was a 5-0 shutout loss to the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Perhaps no other active pitcher in the majors has the A’s number like Verlander does. He usually beats them, and downright dominates them half the time, including some haunting postseason memories. This season he’s been as good as ever at age 39, and in his first matchup against Oakland in June he carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning.