Astros outlast Athletics in 12 innings to complete sweep

Michael Brantley and Yuli Gurriel stroked RBI singles in the 12th inning Sunday afternoon, allowing the Houston Astros to complete a three-game sweep of the host Oakland Athletics with a 6-4 victory.

The win was the Astros' seventh in eight meetings with the A's this season. Houston had a three-game home sweep earlier this season.

Myles Straw led off the 12th with a single off Lou Trivino (2-3), Oakland's fifth pitcher, and stole second.

With one out, Alex Bregman walked and Brantley gave the Astros the lead with his run-scoring single.

Gurriel then followed with his hit, making it a two-run game.

Josh James (3-0) got the win with two innings of shutout relief, striking out three.

The A's trailed 4-2 before Ramon Laureano made it a one-run game with a solo homer, his seventh of the season, off reliever Will Harris in the seventh inning.

Matt Chapman then got the A's even when he hit Ryan Presley's third pitch of the eighth inning for his team-leading 16th home run, making it a 4-4 game.

Both starters pitched well enough to win, but neither got a decision.

Astros right-hander Gerrit Cole, unbeaten in his career in Oakland, left after six innings with a 4-2 lead. He gave up four hits, including solo home runs by Robbie Grossman and Jurickson Profar in the second inning.

Cole walked two and struck out four.

Oakland's Chris Bassitt allowed Houston's first three runs, although two came home on an infield single by Bregman in the fifth inning on which A's shortstop Marcus Semien threw the ball errantly, allowing both Tony Kemp and Straw to score.

The Astros' other run off Bassitt was the product of doubles by Derek Fisher and Gurriel in the first inning.

Houston extended their lead to 4-2 in the seventh inning against A's left-hander Ryan Buchter when Straw walked, stole second and scored on a single by Fisher.

Straw had three hits, three steals and scored three times for the Astros, who won for the seventh time in their last nine games.

Gurriel also finished with three hits, while Fisher and Bregman had two apiece in an 11-hit attack.

Chapman and Grossman collected three hits each and Profar had two for the A's, who did all their scoring in the series with six home runs that produced seven runs.

--Field Level Media