A’s lose first in double-header against Houston Astros

(AP Photo/Michael Wyke) Oakland Athletics’ Mark Canha, left, is out at the plate on a tag by Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado during the second inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, in Houston. The Oakland A’s like to use the late innings to piece together enough offense in wins. Against a tough starter in Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr., the A’s might carry out one of their specialty come-back wins against a young, fragile Houston bullpen. But what happens when those late innings are shaved off?

The A’s played and lost, 4-2, their first seven-inning game in Saturday’s double-header. They wouldn’t get the privilege of opening up the opposing team’s…