Zack Greinke, Astros shut down A's for opening day rout - Chron

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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Zack Greinke pitched six shutout innings, Michael Brantley and Alex Bregman homered back-to-back in the eighth, and the Houston Astros hushed an unwelcoming crowd in beating the reigning AL West champion Oakland Athletics 8-1 on Thursday night.

A’s fans had to wait an extra year to properly boo the Astros, who were supposed to play their first road game of the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season here last spring. Houston’s sign-stealing scandal was brought to light by A’s right-hander Mike Fiers against his former club, and many in the crowd chanted “Cheaters!”

POOR SPORTS: A's get standing ovation for hitting two Astros batters, still lose

Among the biggest cheers of the night: when Carlos Correa was drilled by Chris Bassitt's fastball in the fourth inning. With a runner in scoring position, it didn't appear to be intentional.

Backed by a two-run double from Yordan Alvarez, Greinke (1-0) allowed three hits, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter in Houston’s club-record ninth straight win on opening day. It marks the majors’ longest active streak, and the Astros joined only four other teams to win nine consecutive season openers, according to Elias: Mariners (2007-15), Reds (1983-91), Mets (1975-83) and St. Louis Browns (1937-45).

Brantley and Bregman combined for five of the Astros' nine hits with Brantley having a big 3-for-4 night with a double to go along with his home run. Alvarez also had three RBIs.

The game drew a sellout of 10,436, with the ballpark at 20% capacity as baseball fans returned to the Coliseum for the first time since the A’s lost at home to Tampa Bay in the wild-card game on Oct. 2, 2019.

"It was alright, we got to hear some boos, finally," Greinke said after the win. "That wasn’t that fun to listen to, I didn’t think, but we played good so it didn’t matter. Hopefully we’ll keep playing good and it won’t be as big of an issue.”

BOO BIRDS: How Oakland fans treated Astros players on opening day

Houston lost all but one of eight games in Oakland in 2020 before eliminating the A's in a four-game AL Division Series last fall.

Bassitt (0-1), a right-hander who went 5-2 over 11 starts to emerge as the A's ace last season, allowed three runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two.

New A's shortstop Elvis Andrus delivered the first Oakland hit with a ground-rule double in the third. Andrus made his A's debut after being traded in February from Texas in exchange for designated hitter Khris Davis.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: Manager Dusty Baker said his players and staff who received COVID-19 vaccines during a quick stop home in Houston from spring training felt remarkably well with few issues.

Athletics: Fiers was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Monday lower back strain and RHP Trevor Rosenthal also went on the IL retroactive to Tuesday with inflammation in his throwing shoulder and will remain with the team to rehab. “He's not going to throw for a while,” manager Bob Melvin said.

UP NEXT

Lefty Jesús Luzardo takes the ball in the second game of the series for the A's opposite Astros righty Cristian Javier, a five-game winner last year in his first big league season.

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Zack Greinke, Astros shut down A's for opening day rout - Chron
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