Hogan Harris matched his career high with seven strikeouts, Miguel Andujar and JJ Bleday stroked consecutive RBI doubles during a three-run third inning and the host Oakland Athletics opened a three-game series against the Houston Astros with a 4-0 victory on Monday night.
A second-year major-leaguer making his 15th career start, Harris (2-3) shut out the Astros on seven hits over a season-best 6 2/3 innings. He walked two.
Harris had previously fanned seven batters in June 2023 and May of this year.
The shutout win was Oakland’s eighth of the season.
Austin Adams, Lucas Erceg and Mason Miller completed the shutout by combining for 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief, with Miller working a 1-2-3 ninth.
Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti (4-8) matched zeroes with Harris until a big third inning by the Athletics that began with Max Schuemann’s one-out single out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup.
A single by Lawrence Butler then set the stage for Andujar, whose double into the left field corner was bobbled by Mauricio Dubon, allowing Butler to chase Schuemann home.
Bleday then made it 3-0 with his RBI double into the right field corner.
Schuemann helped produce Oakland’s only other run of the game, singling in the fourth to drive in Zack Gelof, who had walked and stolen second.
Arrighetti recovered nicely to complete six innings, during which he allowed four runs and seven hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Bleday collected a double and two singles for the A’s, who have won three of their four games since coming out of the All-Star break. Schuemann and Butler chipped in with a pair of hits apiece.
Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena each singled twice for the Astros, whose only extra-base hit was a first-inning, two-out double by Yordan Alvarez. The shutout loss was Houston’s fourth of the season, its first since June 18.