A’s fade against Astros in Gray’s solid return

HOUSTON — After providing the walk-off hit in Saturday’s 12-inning affair, Carlos Correa delivered the go-ahead hit in Sunday’s series finale, helping the streaking Astros spoil Sonny Gray’s return from the disabled list and complete a three-game sweep of the A’s with a 5-2 victory at Minute Maid Park.

With one out in the seventh inning, Correa chopped one past the third-base bag for a double off A’s reliever Ryan Dull, bringing home George Springer to hand the Astros their first lead of the day. Carlos Gomez doubled and scored in a two-run eighth off lefty Marc Rzepczynski.

The A’s posted two runs in the first against right-hander Lance McCullers on Yonder Alonso’s two-RBI single, but the Astros used the long ball to get back in the game. Gomez homered off Gray in the fifth, and Evan Gattis launched his third home run in as many days to tie the game in the sixth, a solo shot off lefty Daniel Coulombe.

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Gray totaled 69 pitches in five innings of one-run ball, while McCullers picked up the win after limiting the A’s to two runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts in seven strong innings, stranding nine baserunners. The third-place Astros have won eight of their last nine games to inch closer to the .500 mark, at 28-30.

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