A's slugger Davis might return to face Astros

The host Oakland Athletics hope to get slugger Khris Davis back in the lineup Saturday night when they face one of their nemeses, Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander, on the middle day of a three-game series.

The Astros got the upper hand in the series, and continued a season-long dominance of the A's, with a come-from-behind, 3-2 win on Friday night.

Verlander (8-2, 2.38 ERA) has a 12-6 record and 2.73 ERA in 20 regular-season starts against Oakland, but A's fans remember him as the guy who ended their team's season with shutout efforts in both the 2012 and 2013 playoffs.

The veteran has faced Oakland five times in the postseason, going 4-0 while allowing just four runs in 36 1/3 innings, a 1.24 ERA.

The A's didn't have Davis for any of those postseason head-to-heads with Verlander, and they probably wish they had. After all, he's gone 6-for-11 (.545) in his career against the Houston ace, with a double and four home runs among the six hits.

Davis has been out of action since sustaining a left hip contusion against the Cleveland Indians on May 21. He is eligible to come off the injured list on Saturday, and he attempted to demonstrate his readiness with a powerful batting practice session Friday.

After watching the display, A's manager Bob Melvin cautiously labeled Davis a game-time decision for Saturday.

"(Davis) will have a lot of say in that decision on how he feels," Melvin told reporters, "but the training staff has to be on board as well."

The A's haven't missed Davis' power during his absence. They got a 10th homer in the past four games Friday when Matt Chapman connected against Astros starter Brad Peacock.

Chapman, Marcus Semien and Matt Olson all have two homers in the fourth-game power surge.

The Astros overcame the A's in the series opener by clubbing two homers of their own in the seventh and eighth innings. Josh Reddick got the team on the board with a solo shot to trigger a two-run, game-tying seventh before Derek Fisher bashed a leadoff homer in the eighth to provide the difference-maker.

The homer for Reddick was his first since May 18, but no doubt he's looking to pad his stats Saturday against Oakland left-hander Brett Anderson (6-3, 3.86 ERA).

Reddick has gone 4-for-5 with a double and a home run in his career against Anderson, who has struggled against the Astros. The veteran is just 1/3 with a 6.97 ERA in five games, including four starts, against Houston.

Anderson won't have to deal with another Astros slugger who has owned him, with George Springer out of action with a strained hamstring. Springer had two doubles and a home run among four hits in five career at-bats against Anderson.

Houston's win Friday also came without standout shortstop Carlos Correa, who felt compelled earlier in the day to distribute a video explaining the odd circumstances that led to his cracked rib. He again reiterated that the injury occurred while he received a massage.

Correa, shown on the video with his fiancee, Daniella Rodriguez, at one point lifted up his shirt in an attempt to show that the injury had not been the result of a fall or perhaps even a punch.

"We're here to tell you the story because a lot of you guys have been concerned," Correa said on the video. "There's no bruises like I fell on something or I got hit."

The Astros placed Correa on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

--Field Level Media