Houston Astros aim to dismiss recent woes, focus on Athletics

The schedule appeared to favor Houston entering last weekend, with a nine-game homestand against three teams with losing records providing the Astros an opportunity to create a cushion atop the American League West.

Instead, with an 18-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday in the rubber match of that three-game series, Houston fell to 2-4 on the homestand with a weekend series against the last-place Athletics set to begin on Friday night.

The Astros' division lead over Texas dropped to one game.

"We have to get rid of this series and get ready to play (Friday)," Houston manager Joe Espada said. "Our guys are very much aware of what we need to do."

The Astros hope shortstop and leadoff hitter Jeremy Pena will be available against the Athletics. He missed the series finale against the Angels with a right hand contusion after being hit by a pitch in the first inning on Wednesday.

Pena is 5-for-52 over 13 games since the end of his 15-game hitting streak.

"He's the sparkplug; he's the one that gets us going," Espada said. "Not only what he does offensively, but what he does defensively, he's a big piece."

Right-hander Hayden Wesneski (2-1, 5.16 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Friday. He was the pitcher of record in a 10-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Saturday after allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts over four innings.

It marked his fourth start after being sidelined by Tommy John surgery last season.

Wesneski has faced the Athletics once in his career. He allowed one run on five hits and notched seven strikeouts over seven innings in a 10-1 win with the Chicago Cubs on April 17, 2023.

Right-hander J.T. Ginn (8-7, 3.53 ERA) will start the series opener for the Athletics. He is winless in three starts this month, including a 5-3 loss to the Texas Rangers last Saturday after allowing four runs on eight hits while recording seven strikeouts over six innings.

Ginn is 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA and two no-decisions in three August starts. He had eight consecutive decisions (5-3, 4.53 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings) entering the month.

Ginn is 1-1 with a 6.62 ERA in six career appearances (two starts) against the Astros. He made back-to-back relief appearances against them in April, posting a 10.80 ERA without notching a decision. Ginn joined the rotation immediately thereafter.

Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson likely will miss the remainder of the season with a left shoulder injury that will land him on the injured list on Friday. Wilson has played in 80 games this season and has a .266 batting average with seven home runs and 37 RBIs for the A's, who lost 6-2 to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday and fell to 8-24 since the All-Star break.

Wilson, who returned to Sacramento for an examination to determine the next course of action, has dealt with the shoulder ailment since first suffering an injury in May. He attempted to play despite the physical limitations, but his condition worsened in recent days.

"For him, I'm sure it's disappointing not to be able to continue and finish the season," Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. "We'll wait obviously for the results. At this point, he showed the grit that we needed to see in trying to finish the season."

--Field Level Media