Shea Langeliers went 4-for-4 with a homer and Luis Severino pitched a dazzling 6 1/3 innings at home as the Athletics continued their season-long dominance of the Houston Astros with a 6-0 victory on Wednesday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
The Astros lost their seventh straight game against the Athletics and saw their American League West title hopes come to an end. The Seattle Mariners clinched the division crown with their victory over the Colorado Rockies shortly before Houston lost its fifth straight game.
Houston (84-74) stands one game behind another fading team in the Detroit Tigers for the final wild-card spot. Detroit has dropped eight straight games.
Tyler Soderstrom also homered and joined Langeliers and Brent Rooker with two RBIs as the A’s (75-83) improved to 8-4 against the Astros entering Thursday’s series finale. The Athletics have won nine of their last 12 overall games.
Severino (8-11) gave up three hits, one walk and struck out five while winning his sixth straight decision.
Severino also improved to 2-9 in 15 home starts. He had a 6.51 ERA at Sutter Health Park entering the start.
Severino departed after Christian Walker’s double landed on the warning track just out of the reach of Lawrence Butler and bounced over the fence with one out in the seventh. Hogan Harris retired the next five batters and Elvis Alvarado gave up two hits in the ninth before striking out the final two batters.
The Astros have just eight hits while being outscored 11-1 over the first two games of the series. Houston had three hits when it lost 5-1 on Tuesday.
Houston’s Hunter Brown (12-9) gave up four runs and six hits over five innings. He struck out five and walked two.
The Athletics struck first in the third inning. Nick Kurtz drew a two-out walk, Langeliers reached on an infield single and Soderstrom stroked an RBI double.
The A’s tacked on three runs in the fifth. Brett Harris singled with one out, Kurtz walked and Langeliers followed with a ground-rule double to make it 2-0.
One out later, Rooker singled in two to make it a four-run margin.
With two outs in the seventh, Langeliers and Soderstrom homered on back-to-back pitches against Bryan King.
