Game Thread 145. Sept. 9th, 2019, 7:10 CDT. A’s vs Astros

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY SportsIt was a total smack-down last night. The Astros scored three touchdowns while holding the hapless Mariners to one run as Gerrit Cole one-hit the M’s.

After the Baltimore game in which the Astros scored 23 runs, the bats went silent for a while. Will history repeat itself?

Zack Greinke (14-5, 3.09 ERA) takes the mound for the Astros, opposed by former Astro Mike Fiers (14-3, 3.51 ERA).

The A’s are 9.5 games behind the Astros for the lead in the AL West. No doubt, they are hoping for a sweep in this four game series, which would bring them to within 5.5 games of first. Even if that unlikely outcome occurred, it would still be an uphill climb for the A’s with only…