Gattis, big 1st inning propel Astros to 12-2 win over A's

HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros bounced back from a shutout with one of their best offensive games Friday night.

Evan Gattis tied a career-high with four hits, including a homer, and had four RBI as the Astros jumped on Oakland starter Jesse Hahn for seven runs in the first inning and cruised to a 12-2 victory.

"Really impressive inning of continuing to do something positive to get the next guy up to bat," manager A.J. Hinch said. "Putting up seven runs that's obviously a good start."

The big win comes a day after a 3-0 loss to Arizona where Zack Greinke fanned 11 in seven innings.

The Astros were up 2-0 with two outs in the first when Tyler White drove in a run with a single. The inning looked to be over after that, but a fly ball hit by Tony Kemp to the warning track in right field bounced in and out of the glove of Chris Coghlan for a two-run triple. Jake Marisnick's RBI single made it 6-0 and Hahn was chased when George Springer, the 10th batter of the inning, drove home another run with a single.

"For us to continue to really just hit the ball all over the ballpark and take whatever the game gives you is a sign of good offense," Hinch said. "We've got to do it more consistently to score this way."

Hahn (2-3) allowed six hits and a career-high seven runs in 2/3 innings, the shortest start of his career.

"I thought it was going to be a really good night, but once I got started, everything felt out of whack," Hahn said. "Toward the end of it, I was definitely a little frustrated, and I think I got a little overaggressive and made some stupid pitches. I just didn't feel right."

Houston starter Doug Fister (5-3) yielded four hits and struck out three in six scoreless innings for his fourth straight win.

Gattis, who entered the game 0 for 6, hit a two-run homer in the fourth to the train tracks atop left field after Carlos Correa belted a triple which landed at the back of Tal's Hill in straightaway center field. Houston tacked on three more runs in the fifth to make it 12-0.

"I always try to do my job first for the pitcher and then everything else is just icing on the cake," Gattis said.

It is Houston's sixth win in seven games and snaps Oakland's five-game winning streak.

Marcus Semien hit a solo homer in the seventh for the Athletics and Billy Butler made it 12-2 with an RBI double in the eighth.

The seven runs the Astros scored in the first inning were the most they scored in an opening frame since chasing Seattle's Felix Hernandez with just one out in the first after tagging him for eight runs last June.

Colby Rasmus had two hits and two RBI on a night when everyone in Houston's starting lineup except for Luis Valbuena collected a hit.

WHAT AN AT-BAT

Fister had to use 18 pitches to get Semien to ground out for the second out of the second inning. Hinch lamented that at-bat because it probably cost Fister an inning. Gattis, who was catching, was left scratching his head at how to get him out.

"I didn't know what to throw," Gattis said. "We just started throwing things even if we shouldn't just to see what he'll do with it -- just something, anything. We used everything. Threw everything at him."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Athletics: LHP Rich Hill, May's AL pitcher of the month, was scratched from his scheduled start on Saturday because of a groin strain. Hill left last Saturday's start in the seventh inning with what was termed a mild groin strain and the A's thought he'd be able to pitch on Saturday. Instead he felt some discomfort while throwing off flat ground on Friday and was scratched.

Astros: C Jason Castro missed his third straight game on Friday with flu-like symptoms. Hinch said he could be used in an emergency but that they hoped he would feel better with one more day off.

UP NEXT

Athletics: Kendall Graveman (2-6, 5.09), who was scheduled to pitch on Sunday, will move up a day to fill in for Hill. Graveman allowed six hits and two runs in six innings of a 3-2 win over Minnesota in his last start to snap a five-game skid.

Astros: Collin McHugh (5-4, 4.82) will start for Houston on Saturday. McHugh allowed five hits and three runs in his the first complete game of his career in an 8-3 win over Arizona in his last start.