HOUSTON — In what turned into a Texas standoff between Frankie Montas and Gerrit Cole, it was Cole who flinched first.
Despite Cole’s electric stuff, Montas managed to outlast him long enough for the A’s offense to come through late in a 1-0 victory over the Astros Monday to snap what had been eight losses in a row against Houston entering the night.
Stephen Piscotty’s go-ahead solo home run to the Crawford boxes out in left field off in the seventh inning off Brad Peacock was the difference-maker in this one. It was Piscotty’s 10th home run of the season, surpassing his 2017 total with the Cardinals, and his third consecutive game with a homer.