Astros vs A's Recap: Big Win as Brown Shines

Saturday brought a loud early lead for Houston in a busy game. The biggest momentum swing came in the fourth inning when Loperfido's ground rule double and Diaz's two-run single made it 7-0, and the crowd grew loud. The largest scoring innings were the first, third, fourth, and sixth, though the fourth turned the game sharply in Houston's favor. Hunter Brown's new era was mentioned before the game, and Tatsuya Imai started on the mound for Houston.

Houston opened with two runs in the first inning using small, smart hits and pressure. Altuve singled home Peña and Alvarez moved to second to start the scoring. Walker added a key single to push another run across in that frame. In the third, Walker hit a 383-foot homer and Vázquez doubled in another run to make it 4-0. The Astros kept adding runs with doubles and timely singles while the A's pitchers struggled under pressure.

In the fourth inning Loperfido's ground rule double scored Correa and moved Walker to third. Diaz then singled, and both Walker and Loperfido scored to push the lead to 7-0. Houston added three runs in the sixth with Loperfido's single, Vázquez's double, and Alvarez's single bringing home runs. Smith later hit a long solo homer in the eighth to make it 11-0. The Astros finished with 18 hits and no errors, while Oakland had five hits.

The final score was Houston 11, Oakland 0 on Saturday, April 4. Houston improved to 6-3 and kept a home record of 5-2. Oakland fell to 2-6 and had a 1-1 home mark after this loss. The Astros are starting a new pitching era with Hunter Brown mentioned earlier, and Zach Dezenzo is on the 10-day injured list with a sprain. This game showed Houston's strong offense and steady teamwork for an early-season win.