Hogan Harris enjoys best start of season as A’s blank Astros

OAKLAND — Nick Kurtz, the fourth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft who officially signed with the A’s on Monday, may only see one game at the Oakland Coliseum in his life. If that’s the case, green and gold provided their potential franchise cornerstone with a good time at the yard.

With a mechanical tweak in tow, Hogan Harris allowed no runs across a season-high 6 2/3 innings and matched his season-high of seven strikeouts as the A’s beat the Astros, 4-0, on Monday evening at the Oakland Coliseum.

“I thought Hogan took a step in the right direction tonight,” said manager Mark Kotsay.

Harris entered Monday’s outing having made a adjustment during the All-Star Break, slowing down his motion to it simpler and smoother opposed to, as he calls it, “herky jerky.” The change was partially in response to Harris’ final start of the first half, an outing in which he tossed just three innings against the Phillies, walked six batters and recorded no strikeouts.

The slowed motion instilled Harris with additional confidence, allowing him to pitch around traffic on the bases and induce three double plays. Of that trio of twin killings, none was bigger than the one the A’s turned in the sixth inning.

Harris cruised for most of the evening, but the Astros threatened in the top of the sixth inning by loaded the bases with one out on a trio of singles. Oakland’s bullpen, which had been dormant up to that point, began to scurry. Following Jeremy Peña’s single to put runners at every base, catcher Shea Langeliers met Harris at the mound and offered a game plan to attack Jake Meyers.

Curveball. Fastball.

After Harris’ first-pitch curveball dropped in the zone for strike one, Harris’ second-pitch fastball induced a grounder hit right at third baseman Brett Harris. The subsequent double play was of the tailor-made variety: 5 to 4 to 3. Inning over, runners stranded.

“Shea goes, ‘Let’s go curveball, fastball,'” Harris said. “So, I threw a curveball, then a fastball and it worked. So, I’ll thank Shea for that one.”

“I screamed in the outfield,” said outfielder Lawrence Butler, who had two hits. “I wanted him to get the … quality start. I wanted him to get that, and he got it.”

The left-hander had a chance to complete seven innings, but he was pulled with two outs in the frame after walking Chas McCormick, the Astros’ No. 9 hitter, receiving a standing ovation as he walked back to the third-base dugout. Right-hander Austin Adams allowed a single to Jose Altuve, but struck out Alex Bregman swinging to keep Houston scoreless.

From there, Oakland’s backend combination of Lucas Erceg and Mason Miller shut the door. Erceg, a day removed from failing to retire any of the four batters he faced, pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning. Miller, appearing in his first regular-season contest since dazzling in the All-Star Game, tossed a clean ninth.

“I saw (Erceg) out there with new cleats tonight,” Kotsay said. “Kind of a thing I would’ve done. I would’ve burned my whole locker after last night, but great bounce back night for Lucas. Getting him back out there was important.”

Miguel Andujar, a possible trade candidate ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, drove in two runs with a double in the bottom of the third. JJ Bleday and Max Schuemann each recorded an RBI as well.