HOUSTON - Kendall Graveman gave the Oakland Athletics another solid outing Tuesday night.
If only his hitters could solve Houston's pitching.
Collin McHugh threw six scoreless innings, Colby Rasmus and Evan Gattis homered and the Houston Astros beat the Athletics 3-1.
Graveman (10-9) allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings but took the loss a night after Oakland fell 6-0 to Houston.
“He was great,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. “Up until the second home run, they hit three balls hard the whole game off of him. We just didn't do enough offensively to give him support. We'll take that stuff every night.”
Graveman had allowed one run in his previous two starts.
“I thought I could've been a little bit better,” Graveman said. “I could've saved a run or two. Those are the games where you save two runs and make two better pitches and you're 1-1. They did a good job of neutralizing our offense, and you get that feeling that you need to keep it where it's at. I still feel there's work to be done where I need to bear down and make one pitch to get out of it.”
Melvin said Graveman was taking ownership of being the No. 1 guy and going deep in games.
“Every game, he goes out there and he's close to completing a game,” Melvin said. “He really has taken it to another level and been consistent with it.”
Rasmus put Houston up 1-0 with a homer in the second inning in his first at-bat since returning from the 15-day disabled list. Rasmus went on the DL on Aug. 5 with a cyst in his right ear.
“It's about as good a feeling as you can have being a baseball player,” Rasmus said. “I was just glad to be able to get out there and contribute and do some good for the team in a time where we needed a little spark.”
Gattis hit a solo homer in the seventh to make it 3-0.
McHugh (9-10) allowed four hits and struck out five. He had allowed at least three runs in each of his previous six starts.
Houston remained two games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild card.
Alex Bregman had an RBI single in the third for Houston.
Will Harris threw a perfect seventh, and Luke Gregerson allowed an unearned run in the eighth before Ken Giles pitched the ninth for his sixth save.
Marcus Semien cut the lead to 3-1 with an RBI groundout to short in the eighth. The A's were shut out in the first game of the three-game series, 6-0, Monday night.
Oakland put runners on the corners with one out in the second, but Rasmus caught Max Muncy's flyout and threw home in time to get Ryon Healy and end the inning.
A'S DEAL CRISP
Coco Crisp is headed back to his first baseball home.
The switch-hitting outfielder is on the verge of returning to the Cleveland Indians, who have agreed in principle with the A's on the trade, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. Major League Baseball still must approve the deal, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The trade would have to be official by Wednesday for the 36-year-old Crisp to be eligible for the postseason.
Crisp spent his first four seasons in the majors with the Indians, becoming a fan favorite because of his catchy name, hustle and happy-go-lucky attitude. Cleveland traded him following the 2005 season to Boston.
With left fielder Michael Brantley done for the season following surgery and Abraham Almonte ineligible for the playoffs following a PED suspension, the Indians have been looking for outfield depth over the season's final month - and perhaps into October.
NOTES
A's LHP Sean Manaea (left rhomboid strain) will likely miss his next start, Melvin said.
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