Things got heated in the bottom of the seventh inning in the A’s 7-2 win Sunday over the Houston Astros.
The A’s now are 12-4 on the season after sweeping the Astros with their ninth win in a row, and own a five-game lead in the AL West.
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The A’s bats looked great and got off to a hot start, thanks to a Robbie Grossman home run. Starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo earned his first big league win.
Here’s what you might have missed Sunday at the Coliseum.
Benches clear
In the bottom of the seventh, Ramón Laureano was hit by a pitch from Astros reliever Humberto Castellanos. As Laureano got to first base, Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron began saying something to him that didn't sit well with Oakland's outfielder.
While we’re not sure what was said, Laureano charged at Cintron.
Former A’s catcher Dustin Garneau grabbed Laureano before he could reach the Astros' dugout.
As a result, both Laureano and A’s catcher Austin Allen were ejected from the game. A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson escorted Laureano off the field.
Oakland Athletics
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Not wasting any time
Remember how the A’s have had a history of taking a while in a season to get things started? Well, we could laugh at that now. History doesn’t always repeat itself.
In the bottom of the second inning, Grossman hit a solo shot to right field for his second homer of the season.
On Saturday, Marcus Semien also didn’t waste any time to make an impact of his own while working a 3-2 count in his first at-bat of the game. He hit a solo homer as well, giving the A's an early lead.
[RELATED: Benches clear in A's-Astros game after Laureano hit by pitch]
Luzardo is here to stay
Sunday marked Luzardo’s second career big-league start, and it went rather swimmingly.
He gave up a two-run homer to Yuli Gurriel in the top of the fourth, but other than that, he was pretty solid.
Through 5 2/3 innings, Luzardo struck out five, walked two, and gave up five hits and just two earned runs before giving the ball to Yusmeiro Petit in relief.
Luzardo’s first outing against the Texas Rangers was “terrific,” as A's manager Bob Melvin said. “Comes as advertised.”
He sure does.