Sean Manaea walked to the mound in the sixth inning in pursuit of a no-hitter and suddenly lost control of his pitches.
Then the A’s lost control of the game.
On a bizarre Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum, in a game witnessed by 20,140, the theme went from “Astros can’t get a hit” to “A’s can’t get an out.”
The A’s fell 10-6 because neither Manaea nor the bullpen could finish the deal.
A’s pitchers blew a 5-0 lead and yielded eight unanswered runs, and Manaea’s first five fabulous innings became a footnote.