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A’s Bounce Back, Take Second Game From Astros 6-5

· Yahoo Sports

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 25: Henry Bolte #33 of the Athletics reacts after hitting a two-run triple in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Sutter Health Park on September 25, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The A’s managed to take the second game of their four-game set with the Houston Astros on Friday night, squeaking by their division rivals 6-5 in convincing fashion to even this series up. Thanks to the Rangers’ loss the Astros still remain tied for first place in the AL West. All that means is that the A’s have more motivation to win all over again tomorrow. The A’s will be the squad that sends a losing team to the postseason. Two more games left!

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Lopez strong in final start of the year

Taking the ball for the final time this season, left-hander Jacob Lopez entered tonight coming off of easily his worst career outing of his career (2 2/3 IP, 10 ER). That’s put a bit of a damper on what has otherwise been a successful second half for Lopez, who as we all know lost his roster spot for a time before his recent reemergence. Ideally he wanted to end his season on a high note with a strong final outing at home in Sacramento against a division rival.

That’s just what the A’s got tonight. The lefty held Houston’s formidable lineup down tonight, allowing just a couple of hits and a couple walks. Houston put two on in the second but Lopez squashed that rally before it began. The only damage done against him this evening was a solo home run off the bat of Houston first baseman Christian Walker in the fourth. Other than that the Astros couldn’t push anything more across against a pitcher leaving it all on the mound before offseason.

  • Jacob Lopez: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 94 pitches

That’s a fantastic way to end a season. Lopez came into tonight coming off the worst outing of his career and bounced back with one of his best of the season. He officially ends his season with a 5.47 ERA, though that doesn’t do justice to how well he pitched in the second half. Baseball is a game of two halves though. It’ll be interesting to see how the A’s view Lopez over the offseason and heading into spring. Something to monitor this winter.

Astros score first, A’s strike backbig

After the Astros took the early 1-0 lead the pressure was on the offense to back up their starter. The A’s hadn’t done much against Houston ace right-hander Hunter Brown, managing just a couple hits and four walks against him. They had chances in the second and third innings, getting a runner into scoring position, but wasted those opportunities.

Their fortunes would turn in the bottom of the sixth. Now much deeper into the game and likely tiring, the A’s got to work. Jeff McNeil started things off with a leadoff single then found himself at second base after a Houston error put Gelof on behind him. Needing to cash in manager Mark Kotsay called for a sacrifice bunt from Donovan Walton, which he executed to perfection. This is where the game turned.

With a left-handed hitter in Carlos Cortes coming to bat Houston pulled Brown (at 100 pitches) for lefty relief pitcher Bennett Sousa. Kotsay countered by pitch-hitting Cortes with the righty-swinging Michael Stefanic. The game of chess worked out in Kotsay’s favor tonight as Stefanic rewarded him with a two-run RBI single to take the lead:

And they weren’t done there either. Rookie infielder followed with another single to put another runner in scoring position, and Jonah Heim delivered a third straight single to bring home Stefanic:

That made it 3-1 A’s. And they still weren’t done. Sensational rookie center fielder Henry Bolte was up next and all he did was swat a two-run RBI triple to make it 5-1:

Still not done, Lawrence Butler followed and grounded out to the first baseman. Bolte made the dash for home, the throw trying to beat him. Which made it there first? Take a wild guess:

What can’t this kid do? If there’s one positive from an otherwise down year, it’s that the Athletics have their long-term answer in center field. And his name is just an addes bonus.

Astros rally, A’s hold on

That six-spot in the sixth seemed like it would be more than enough for the Athletics tonight. However Houston wasn’t ready to roll over just yet, not with the playoffs within their grasp. First they cut into the lead with a solo shot in the seventh to make it 6-2, then they rallied for three runs in the top of the eighth off Luis Medina. He’s lucky he only allowed three as it could have spiraled way more out of control than it did.

Still, the A’s had the lead heading into the ninth and turned things over to Hogan Harris, asking him for three more outs. He was more or less nails, allowing just a walk but promptly wiping him out with a groundball double play to end the game, securing his 17th save of the year.

Closer than it needed to be but still a solid win all around. Lopez dealt in his final appearance of the season and heads into winter on a high note. The offense meanwhile did its job without the long ball, again in large part thanks to Bolte. The bullpen was definitely shaky but they still held onto the lead and the A’s came away with win #64. Thanks to Texas’ loss the Astros are still tied for first in the AL West at 79-81. That just means the A’s will have to win again tomorrow.

We’re down to our final two games of Athletics baseball this year! It’s been a slog at times but we’re all going to miss it in about a week, that’s for sure. For now let’s just soak it all up while we can. The third game of the series is tomorrow night. The A’s are sending right-hander Jack Perkins to the mound for his final start of the 2026 campaign, like Lopez hoping to end his tough season on a high note. Houston meanwhile has yet to announce their starter so stay tuned there.

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Roosters forward too tough to handle

· Sydney Morning Herald

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Scientists reveal surprisingly easy exercise that may boost your mood in just 10 minutes

· Fox News

It might not take an all-out sprint or long trail run to lift your mood and sharpen focus, according to a new study.

A small new study out of the University of Tsukuba in Japan looked at 24 healthy young adults who completed a slow, 10-minute run on the treadmill in one session and rested in another.

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After the easy jog, participants performed faster on a test of attention and self-control and reported feeling more alert and pleasant than they did after the resting phase, according to the study, which was published in the journal Imaging Neuroscience in August.

'PERFECT' WORKOUT FORMULA CAN TAKE JUST 10 MINUTES A DAY, HILARIA BALDWIN SAYS

Brain monitoring after the jog also showed more activity in parts of the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for focus and decision-making.

The jog was purposely kept easy, with participants going at speeds from 1.9 to 3.7 mph on the treadmill. Their average heart rates clocked in at 105 to 107 beats per minute.

SIMPLE BODY MOVEMENT COULD HELP THE BRAIN 'CLEAN ITSELF,' RESEARCHERS FIND

"A single bout of running, even at very slow speed, elicits a pleasant mood and improved executive function," the researchers found.

They added that the finding "sheds light on the slow running benefits to brain health."

JUST 10 MINUTES OF DAILY FLOOR EXERCISES MAY IMPROVE BALANCE AND AGILITY, STUDY FINDS

The benefits, they noted, stuck around even after participants' heart rates returned to baseline.

The greater the up-and-down head movement during the jog, the more positive participants' mood was afterward, though that finding was exploratory and does not necessarily prove cause and effect.

5 COMMON WALKING MISTAKES THAT COULD HURT YOUR PROGRESS, ACCORDING TO AN EXPERT

"Easy movement triggers the norepinephrine and dopamine pathways that wake up the part of the brain that is in charge of focus and self-control," explained Dr. John La Puma, a California-based internist and author of "Indoor Epidemic," who was not involved in the study.

Experts agree, however, that it does not mean one brief workout could be a cure-all.

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"A brief jog should help someone get some energy in their system, which may make them feel better about themselves mentally and help them focus," said Dr. Scott Nass, a California-based family medicine physician at SwiftCareMD.

But Nass, who also wasn't involved in the research, said that the effect is likely temporary.

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For people living with depression or anxiety, a jog may briefly clear the mind but is "no substitute for medical care," he told Fox News Digital.

The study was also limited in that it included just 24 healthy, young adults and measured outcomes immediately after just one exercise session. The findings cannot be assumed to apply to older adults, novice runners or people with health conditions and larger studies are needed to confirm the results, Nass said.

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For a practical approach, La Puma suggested taking a 10-minute walk outside before the most mentally demanding part of the day. Add 30-second jogging intervals, keeping the pace easy enough to speak in full sentences without becoming breathless, he said.

People with heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 1 diabetes, recent surgery or joint pain should check with a clinician before starting a new routine, La Puma advised.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the researchers for comment.

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