Rooker’s Two Homers, Bullpen Failures Foil Astros 12-10 in 10 Innings

· Yahoo Sports

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 31: Cam Smith #11 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a home run in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Daikin Park on March 31, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Astros had an early lead, they had a late lead. Neither held up, and Houston fell to the Athletics in Sacramento 12-10 in 10 innings.

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Brent Rooker entered the game with no extra base hits on the season. He would hit two home runs on the day, including a walk-off 3-run homer off Bryan Abreu to end the game.

Abreu, who came into the game with 2 outs in the 9th in relief of Bryan King, didn’t seem to have command coming back out for the 10th. He opened the bottom of the tenth walking Tyler Soderstrom on 5 pitches, the last 4 of which were nowhere near the strike zone. He then threw a knee high fastball middle in to Rooker, who blasted it at 104,8 MPH on a line over the wall in left field to send everyone home.

It wound up being a barn burner of a game, but it didn’t start that way. The score was 0-0 through the first four innings.

The Astros took an early lead in the top of the 5th on a Yordan Alvarez two-run homer. Yordan got an 89.4 MPH sinker from Jacob Lopez that he drilled 399 FT to right center field at 110.8 MPH off the bat.

Yordan’s homer made it 2-0. Later in the inning, after Carlos Correa walked and stole second, Cam Smith would single to left scoring Correa to make it 3-0.

That would seemingly be a solid lead for Lance McCullers Jr., who was the beneficiary of 2 double plays through 4 scoreless innings, but it was not to be. McCullers suffered a catastrophic loss of command in the 5th.

McCullers had thrown his cutter more than any other pitch through the first 4, and sporadically throwing his four-seam, sinker, and knuckle curve.

His first pitch of the fifth was an 89.9 MPH sinker. He would give up a single to Max Muncy later in that AB leading off the bottom of the fifth. He then walked Jeff McNeil on 5 pitches, 4 cutters and a change (three of the balls weren’t close), bringing up Carlos Cortes. Cortes would see 3 knuckle curves, and his the last one for an RBI double. That would end McCullers day after 79 pitches.

Steven Okert would come on in relief of McCullers and threw gasoline all over the place.

Okert’s first batter was Nick Kurtz, whom he walked on 5 pitches to load the bases. After getting Shea Langeliers to fly out, Okert allowed a bases-clearing triple to Tyler Soderstrom on a ball that CF Jake Meyers appeared to lose in the sun:

That would give the A’s a 4-3 lead and end the day for Okert, who faced the minimum 3 batters and threw 9 pitches. A.J. Blubaugh was then brought in to try to get out of the inning. Blubaugh allowed a sac fly to make the game 5-3 before getting out of the inning.

In the 7th, the Astros would tie the game again. Carlos Correa worked a 1 out walk, and then Christian Walker took a slider from J.T Ginn 397 feet to left center for his 2nd HR of the season.

The tie wouldn’t last as the Astros bullpen fell apart again.

After walking Soderstrom to lead off the bottom of the 7th, Blubaugh surrendered a 2-run homer to Rooker. Rooker took a 95.7 MPH fastball belt high and deposited it just over the wall in left to give the A’s a 7-5 lead.

Blubaugh then allowed a one-out double to Lawrence Butler and a single to Munch before giving way to Christian Roa.

Roa gave up a pop up single that Nick Allen couldn’t find to score a run, and then an RBI single to Cortes to make it 9-5 Athletics.

The Astros would answer back in the top of the 8th, starting with a leadoff homer from Jake Meyers.

Meyers hammered a sinker from Scott Barlow 393 feet to left for his first HR of the season. Jake smashed it at 106.5 MPH off the bat to make it 9-6.

Barlow then issues back to back walks to Joey Loperfido and Allen before Jose Altuve hammered an RBI double down the line in left to make it 9-7.

Mark Leiter Jr. then replaced Barlow, and promptly walked Yordan to load the bases. He then got Carlos Correa to line to right and Walker to pop to first, but Cam Smith delivered a 2-run single to tie the game again.

Bryan King would work a 1-2-3 eighth inning, and neither team would score in the 9th.

In the top of the 10th, the Astros would take the lead.

Correa delivered an RBI single, scoring Allen, and gave the Astros a 10-9 lead. Despite loading the bases with one out, the Astros would not push across any other runs.

In the bottom of the 10th, Abreu would come undone, and the Astros would drop 2 of 3 to an A’s team that dropped 5 of it’s first 6 games entering this series.

The Astros fall to 6-4 on the season, the A’s improve to 3-6.

Tomorrow the Astros open a 3-game series in Denver against the 3-6 Colorado Rockies.

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