None of that stopped Houston from cruising to a 4-0 win in the series opener, and the price on this one reflects the gap between a club fighting for playoff position and a team with baseball's worst record.
Oakland's collapse isn't a one-game thing. They've lost 5 in a row, getting swept in a 4-game set at Kansas City before Houston made it 5 with Friday's shutout. The offense has scored more than 3 runs exactly once in that stretch.
Lopez's own story has been a strange one — he was optioned to Triple-A in May after getting hit hard, then came back out of the bullpen before working his way back into a starting role. His last time out he went 6 innings with 6 strikeouts, easily his best look in weeks, even if the ERA still says he's been battered most of the season.
- 10-Day-ILJacob Wilson (SS) — The Athletics placed Wilson (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Friday.08/21
- 10-Day-ILJoshua Kuroda-Grauer (3B) — The Athletics announced Monday that Kuroda-Grauer (testicle) has resumed taking part in light, non-impact activities, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.08/17
- 10-Day-ILShea Langeliers (C) — The Athletics announced that Langeliers underwent a successful medial meniscectomy Tuesday in Los Angeles and also received a platelet-rich plasma injection for his right knee, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/28
- 15-Day-ILJose Suarez (RP) — Suarez will serve as the Athletics' opening pitcher during Thursday's game against the Tigers, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.08/12
- 60-Day-ILNick Kurtz (1B) — The Athletics transferred Kurtz (thumb) to the 60-day injured list Friday.08/21
- 60-Day-ILTyler Soderstrom (LF) — The Athletics transferred Soderstrom (hip) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.08/20
- 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke (CF) — Clarke (hamstring) went 0-for-2 with a strikeout with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday.08/19
- 60-Day-ILJustin Sterner (RP) — The Athletics transferred Sterner (knee) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.08/16
- 60-Day-ILLuis Severino (SP) — Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said he does not expect Severino (shoulder) to return to a big-league mound this season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.08/15
- 60-Day-ILMark Leiter Jr. (RP) — Leiter will undergo surgery Tuesday to address a right hip impingement and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/30
- 60-Day-ILBrent Rooker (DH) — Rooker will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/17
- 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske (RP) — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, MLB.com reports.06/16
- 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund (SP) — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.05/20
- Day-To-DayJeremy Pena (SS) — Pena (hand) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.08/21
- 15-Day-ILMike Burrows (SP) — Burrows (elbow) struck out five and permitted one hit and two walks over 4.2 scoreless innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday.08/21
- 60-Day-ILBrice Matthews (CF) — General manager Dana Brown said Sunday that the Astros are targeting "mid-August, potentially the third week of August" for Matthews' (knee) return from the 10-day injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.08/19
- 60-Day-ILCarlos Correa (SS) — Correa (ankle) has been cleared to hit off a tee, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.08/11
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Walter (SP) — The Astros announced Friday that Walter (elbow) is in the midst of a throwing progression at the team's complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.06/04
Brown's floor is a lot higher than Lopez's — a sub-4 ERA against a lineup that's been shut down repeatedly — but the walks have crept into his last outing, and against a team this beat-up, one bad Astros inning is still enough to keep it interesting.