Tyler Stephenson hits solo homer in defeat

Varsho knocked a base hit in the second inning, then later led off the seventh inning with a solo homer off Luis Medina. The 30-year-old outfielder is having a down season in the power department as Saturday’s blast was just his ninth home run of the season. He’s slashing .232/.297/.364 with 44 runs scored, 30 RBI, and 10 steals across 431 plate appearances.

After the A’s took a one-run lead in the top of the eighth, Hogan Harris faced the heart of the Astros order before handing it over to Alvarado in the ninth. The 27-year-old right-hander struck out two in a clean inning of work to secure his third save of the season. Still, Harris is expected to be in line for most save chances in Sacramento.

Lopez was excellent against the Astros on Saturday, holding them scoreless through three innings before giving up a run on a walk and a double in the fourth. He’d give the A’s two more scoreless frames, collecting an impressive nine strikeouts through six innings while scattering just three hits and one walk. The 28-year-old left-hander will take a 4.98 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, and a 90/47 K/BB ratio across 94 innings into a start against the Orioles in Sacramento on Friday.

Brown tossed two scoreless innings, then ran into some trouble in the third. He surrendered a solo homer to Donovan Walton to lead off the frame, then loaded the bases before escaping the jam with a ground ball double play. Brown settled in to pitch two more scoreless innings and record the first two outs in the sixth before departing at 101 pitches. He scattered seven hits in all and walked three batters while collecting four strikeouts. The 27-year-old right-hander will take a 3.51 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and a 76/43 K/BB ratio across 74 1/3 innings into a start against the Mets in New York next weekend.

Johnson gave up one hit, walked two and struck out three. He improved to 3-7 with the win. While the results were excellent, there’s not much in Johnson’s profile that suggests they’re repeatable. Johnson lowered his ERA to 5.75 and still has a 5.38 xFIP. He’s not lined up for another start at the moment.

Muncy had an outstanding day at the plate, starting with a walk in the second. He then doubled to lead off the fourth and crossed home on a single. Muncy later doubled and scored again in the fifth before knocking a single for his third hit in the seventh. The 35-year-old slugger is hitting .258/.350/.513 with 26 homers, 69 runs scored, and 66 RBI across 449 plate appearances.

With two runners on in the first inning, Cruz laced a triple on a sharp line drive to right field, plating two runs for the Pirates. It was his first triple of the season and third extra-base hit in four games since returning from the injured list. The 27-year-old outfielder is hitting .266/.355/.494 with 16 homers, 48 runs scored, 51 RBI, and 22 steals across 299 plate appearances.

Scott was summoned in the top of the ninth to close out the game against the Pirates with a one-run lead. He worked a clean inning, striking out one to secure the win and convert his 19th save of the season to go with a strong 2.24 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and a 64/11 K/BB ratio across 52 1/3 innings.

The Pirates jumped on Skubal right away, putting three runs on the board on three hits in the first inning. He then worked through more traffic in the second, stranding two runners. Skubal would recover nicely thereafter, tossing five more scoreless innings, completing seven while collecting 11 strikeouts. The 29-year-old left-hander will take a 2.91 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and a 146/21 K/BB ratio across 120 2/3 innings into a start against his former team in Detroit on Friday.