tonight. all nine oakland hitters. houston looking for their first win against the athletics. >> mitch: all nine batters have an rbi. all of them have been solo home runs tonight. >> rich: the solo shot in the first. dominguez in the third. oakland got their two in the fourth. josh donaldson and moss. dominguez again in the seventh. >> mitch: this is the deflating part. to an offense. they're five runs back. and they're looking at a 14 and 35 record if they can't make up the five runs over the next seven outs. >> mitch: that's the thing. you don't want young kids going up there. that's a great piece of hitting right there. >> rich: grossman shoots it to right field. if bo porter can get that across to these young hitter, don't worry. >> mitch: you play defense. you have good at-bats. don't give any at-bats away. you cannot hit a five-run homer. >> rich: that's the challenge for any team that is going through this. houston, miami is going through this. you have young players, the altuves, the dominguezes, castros, martinez. you don't have two or three veterans producing as well. so the kids are out there almost by themselves. as bo porter has talked about. trying to let the kids develop. it is the same time, not grow complacent. >> mitch: exactly. i have five children of my own. i have a daughter that's very athletic and my youngest son will be a tremendous athlete. the biggest thing i preach to them, you cannot fear failure but you'd better have an absolute hatred of it. that's what these kids have to understand. you can't be afraid of it. >> rich: the guy at the plate is altuve. >> mitch: exactly. >> rich: altuve, as we talked about. he is full of fight. he has had to at 5'5", to fight his way into the big leagues. to fight his way last year to the national league all-star team. and bo porter said that a week ago, altuve came to bo port he and said, skip, we just need to hang together. our day will come. because he is aware of the prospect coming this way. >> mitch: i'll be honest with you. i don't know if i could have spent five years in "a" ball hitting over .300. i would have thought, they have no plans for me whatsoever. it would have been hard not to think that way. it takes a special kind of player to hit over .300 for five years and average .327 and not get moved. just to stick with it. >> rich: he stuck with it. he forced their hand. and he kicked the door in. okajima to the plate. that's a base hit. crisp picks it up. now okajima is getting knocked around a bit. with the left field dimensions, comparable to where this guy pitched a lot. fenway park. you can come back and a couple of swings can get you there. >> mitch: you look at that swing. altuve's swing. short and to the ball. bo porter said, it seems like his entire bat is the barrel. he barrels everything. this is going to be okajima's last hitter. they have a right-hander warming up out there. >> rich: a five-run game. here's castro. who has gone three for three with a couple homers and an rbi single. houston has a run on the board against this bull pen. that has been so good, they had gone seven games without allowing the run. >> mitch: and we talked with bo porter before the game. this is a situation that last year, they probably would have pink hit for castro. but bo porter believes he is an everyday player. to be an everyday player, you have to be abe to hit left handers and right-handers. and this is showing confidence in castro. you can't measure that. as a player, it is immeasurable. i know managers that gave me a long leash. those were the guys i performed for. >> rich: castro facing okajima. you've got to find out. you have to learn about the guys that you're moving forward with. the breaking ball. last game with two multihome run hitters for the astros back in 2005 and two of the greats in astro histor history. lance berkman. >> mitch: i had the opportunity to play with both of them. >> rich: a swing and a miss. castro strikes out. houston on the board. another solo homer. matt dominguez, his second of the night. 10-5. hey, so uh... what's going on here? do you want the long or short answer? long i guess. the-great-deals-on-our-most- fuel-efficient-lineup-ever- for-just-a-very-short-time-so- you-better-hurry-extravaganza! so what's the short answer? awesome. 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[ grunting ] [ male announcer ] the citi simplicity card is the only card that never has late fees, a penalty rate, or an annual fee, ever. go to citi.com/simplicity to apply. >> rich: the third baseman josh donaldson leads the discussion. >> right now like, i'm either overaggressive or i'm way too passive and i can't get started. >> plus like you take that first pitch. ball and strike doesn't matter but you feel like what you're doing. >> rich: sometimes manage her say don't take your at-bats out into the field. when you have ten runs and 15 hits, it's okay. wesley wright is in for houston. donaldson really has been smoking of late. he is due up second in this inning. this is seth smith. then donaldson. then moss. >> mitch: you can see wright is a left-handed specialist. you've been in 25 games and you don't have 20 innings pitched. he is being used to get left-handers out. i have a feeling tonight he will be whoever walks up there out. wesley wright. third out of the bull pen. a short start for lucas harrell who went an inning and two-thirds. gave up six runs. edgar gonzalez had to soak up 4 1/3. travis blackley pitched seventh. a 2-1 pitch to smith. smith up the middle into center field. and a base hit. smith hasn't homered but he has a big hit. that bunt single that started the second against the shift. it just pushed it down the third-base line. altuve. it looks like he got a face full of dirt on that dime. >> mitch: and i always appreciated that. an infielder in a 10-5 game, that's a guy who plays the game until it's over. you look at seth smith's game. i always believed when he was in colorado that he could be an everyday player. he just had that kind of swing. >> rich: well, smith. had a nice year last year his second year. here's donaldson. donaldson, a solo homer in the fourth. a couple of singles. you look at his last 30 games. 13 doubles. five home runs. and we appreciate the fact that he went out on a limb and agreed to wear a mic to be and let us inside the game. the a's have needed his production in the absence of josh reddick. if everything goes well, oakland should have reddick back next weekend. >> mitch: wright is ahead of him now. now he has to make a pitch. >> rich: reddick hit for the second straight night. and oakland hopeful he'll be out early this week on a rehab assignment. >> mitch: i watched him take early bp and he was peppering the right field so he looks pretty helpful to me. >> mitch: in a 10-5, that pitch has to be called. look at the catcher's mit. boom! he has to call that. that's a strike. back away here. >> rich: donaldson fouls it at the plate. one of the things he had to do in the off-season is change his workout regimen. remember, he was a catcher in oakland's system. crash course in the spring of last year. when he got home and hooked up with his strength and conditioning coach, they changed his whole workout. they needed to realign the hips. needed to get more explosive. that's hit well. that's hit deep. off the top of the wall. stays in play. racing around third and heading home is smith and donaldson has done it again. >> mitch: they are not missing balls in the middle of the plate. two singles, a homer and a double for josh donaldson. the mic has been magical tonight. donaldson agrees to wear a mic. he has four hits. bo porter comes on live and his hitter gets a home run. >> mitch: and he thought he got that one right there. he thought he got it. >> rich: ten feet to the left. it is in the crawford box and it is out of here. >> mitch: seth smith doing a great job. getting around second base in case they do not get to the ball which it didn't. it comes off the wall. >> rich: this is one of those ballparks that has unique dimensions. strange bounces and even guys that have played a lot of innings in left field or in center field in this ballpark. still have to be aware of the possibilities. the crawford boxes were built in left field. and those are the seats above the scoreboards. because of the footprint for the ballpark. they didn't want to go across the street and into the historic train station. so it is a short in left. the wall stays high. and just out. pitch misses outside. >> mitch: i've never been a big believer in pitching to the ballpark. i believe you pitch to your strength. take your strength to the hitter's weakness regardless of what the ballpark is built. or how it is built. >> rich: brandon moss. homered in the fourth. and a strike. 51 years ago, when the astros started, they were actually the colt 45s. they played outdoors and in those old uniforms in the houston heat and humidity. >> mitch: wool and houston are not a good combo. >> rich: fouled out of play. >> rich: then the astro dome came along which in its first year, had glass. they discovered the glass ceiling wasn't a good idea when the yankees or the astros, the colt 45s, played an exhibition game and mickey mantle and the outfielders could not see the ball in the ceiling. so they painted the ceiling and that killed the grass. that is how astro turf was born. >> mitch: one of the worst things ever for professional sports. there's nothing like playing the game on grass. >> rich: back in the astro dome days where they had guys in space suits. astronauts come out as the grounds crew. that's back in the heyday of the apollo program, the space program. >> mitch: they've been through some really ugly uniforms in the city. >> rich: moss strikes out. wright gets him. >> mitch: and wright made a really good pitch there. fastball. they say moss could not get extended. right under his hands. >> rich: there is one of the many looks the astros have had of they have changed their look this year. they've gone more with the orange. and a little bit deeper blue. >> mitch: i like the look of their new uniform. >> rich: chris young grew up watching the killer bees. biggio, bagwell, berkman. young as always in houston. has swung it well tonight. three hits tonight. >> mitch: you talked about. that it does hit so well in this ballpark. you wonder if it because he is at home or if he sees the ball really well. >> rich: he said this morning in the houston chronicle, he said it is just being comfortable, being home, having 30 or 40 family members in the ballpark. that's always a dilemma for a general manager in baseball. when there is one that hammers you, your tendency at first instinct is to go get that guy. every time you see him, he's hurting you. >> mitch: then you wonder whether or not the family becomes a distraction. i'm be sure i can put together 30 or 40 family members. >> rich: 2-2. josh donaldson at second. chris young, the hitter. swing and a miss. >> mitch: wright is very sneaky. >> rich: tomorrow on fox, the sprint cup racing returns. daytona 500 points leader jimmy johnson looks for his seventh career win at charlotte motor speedway while defending chach kasey kahne tries to defend his title. 5:30 tomorrow. kasey kahne in that race. wesley wright on the mound. >> mitch: you see his body, that 91-mile-an-hour fastball to young looked like 101. right-hander, you're not picking the ball up as soon. you watch how close he stays. and how hidden the ball is behind him. not getting real good swings off him. that's a 99-mile-an-hour fastball. >> rich: wesley wright at 25 appearances. that's a list that pitchers want to stay off of. managers try their best to keep guys off there. >> mitch: i always loved being on that list. my rookie year, i think i still hold the record for games pitched. then an 85 my second year. every day i did not get in the game i threw a bull pen. i had to. the more i threw, the better i threw. >> rich: eric sogard. a couple hits tonight. >> mitch: this is where he has to keep his head online. >> rich: he strikes them out. oakland, a season high 17 hits and 11 runs. and an 11-5 lead. ♪ [ male announcer ] start with a dodge dart. now give it a "tiger shark" engine and 41 mpg. good. now add some of this. and that. definitely him. and her. a little more of her. perfect. time out. how we doin'? [ car accelerating ] okay, let's take it up a notch. give it a heap of this, one of those, and that. got anything with grappling hooks and a plane? [ explosions ] yeah, that'll work. ♪ [ lighter flicking ] [ male announcer ] you've reached the age where giving up isn't who you are. ♪ this is the age of knowing how to make things happen. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. >> rich: we go through astros history. >> mitch: that one right there on the right. that's when i was playing here. >> rich: jeff bagwell, darryl kile. >> mitch: d.j. great guy. >> rich: j.d. martinez, chris carter. brandon moss ventures over. and he makes the catch. oakland. if they can close this out will go to 27 and 23. brandon moss and the athletics will have won seven of the last eight. as we pointed out, some have looked at oakland and said, look, they're 7-0. probably 8-0 against houston. young is over. some have said oakland is fattening up against a struggling houston team. but as we pointed out, the rest of the american league west is not. houston is holding their own against the rest of the west. >> mitch: and you can't fault oakland. if you're the rangers, you're the angels or seattle, you have the same opportunities as the a's. so you can't sit back and say, oh, yeah. they're fattening up against this team. they're winning the teams they're supposed to win. that's what it comes down to. >> rich: pena now against chavez. baseball night in america here in houston. late games starting elsewhere including texas in seattle. texas, 31 and 17. the rangers atop the west. and they have at least coming into day, the second best record in baseball. the best record by half a game. the st. louis cardinals. >> mitch: yep. >> the cardinals trying in los angeles, 4-3. in the bottom of the eighth. the shelby miller and clayton kershaw match-up tomorrow. >> mitch: two of the young e.r.a. leeshds in the national league. >> rich: great "sports illustrated" cover on the cardinals rotation this week. entitled the cardinal way. the cardinals tried to avoid the curse of the cubbies. they've lost a couple of them in the last week. that's one of the thing that st. louis has done so well. whether they lose a starter or a reliever. there always seems to be someone who can step up and step in that has been groomed and they don't miss a beat. >> mitch: you look at whether it is the starting pitching or in the bull pen. trevor rosenthal coming out of the pen in the postseason last year. 50% of the fastballs he let go of were over 100 miles an hour. a 1-2-3 inning for chavez. we head to the ninth in houston. 11-5, oakland. 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