Justin Verlander struck out 11 and earned his 13th win of the season after the Astros bounced back from Tuesday's 11-inning loss with a 4-2 win over the Oakland Athletics in front of a sell-out crowd Wednesday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
Verlander allowed an unearned run in the first inning due to errors on Alex Bregman and Josh Reddick, but he allowed just one hit and two walks the rest of the day as the Astros moved back to 7.5 games ahead of the Athletics for first place in the American League West.
Chris Bassit took the mound opposite Verlander and struck out the first five he faced. The Astros didn't get their first baserunner until Robinson Chirinos' one-double in the third. He scored when George Springer launched a 1-2 fastball over the left-centerfield wall for his 23rd home run of the season, putting the Astros on top.
Chirinos started another Astros rally when he was hit by a pitch to start the fifth, and with two out, Jose Altuve socked a first pitch cutter 428 feet to straightaway centerfield for his 15th long ball, making it a 4-1 game.
Bassit allowed those four runs over six innings with seven strikeouts as he was tagged with his fifth loss of 2019. Lou Trivino tossed a 1-2-3 seventh inning out of the Oakland bullpen while Blake Treinen kept the Astros off the board in the eighth.
With Verlander out of the game, Will Harris worked around a one-out single in the seventh, and Ryan Pressly faced the minimum in the eighth. Roberto Osuna, who blew a save Tuesday night, locked down his 23rd save despite allowing a run in the ninth.
Altuve finished 3-for-4 with a home run, double, and two RBI.
After an off day Thursday, the Astros will head to St. Louis and open a three-game series against the Cardinals Friday night.
