OAKLAND -- The A's showed no mercy to their Friday night houseguests, displaying a deadly combo of patience and power in their first meeting of the year with the Astros.Oakland put up a seven-spot against Houston starter Jarred Cosart in the first inning, more than enough runs for Sonny Gray to play with in an 11-3 victory in the three-game series opener.Cosart got all of one out in the frame, walking four and allowing homers to Alberto Callaspo and Josh Reddick before being pulled at the 39-pitch mark. The A's would send 11 men to the plate in the fateful inning, finished by right-hander Paul Clemens. 
The 11 runs were a season high for the A's, who improved to an American League-best 11-5 with the win. The Astros, growing pains and all, fell to an AL-worst 5-12.Reddick, who entered the day with just four hits in his first 41 at-bats of the season, finished the night with three more, marking the first multihit game of the year for Oakland's right fielder. The home run was his first since Sept. 15.It wasn't the only encouraging performance of the night, as the A's also got three hits from Yoenis Cespedes, including a second-inning solo shot, his fourth of the year.Perhaps feeling left out, Oakland's other outfielder, Coco Crisp, joined in on the homer-happy day with a fifth-inning shot to right-center off Clemens.It was Crisp, making his first start since Sunday, who got things going in the first inning, drawing the first of 10 walks the A's would tally on the night. Cosart issued two more in advance of Cespedes' two-run base hit, setting up a three-run homer from Callaspo, who has nine RBIs in 12 games.Gray wasn't at his best, allowing the Astros a career-high nine hits, but he limited them to three runs in six innings for his third win in four tries this year. The righty, who walked two and struck out four while throwing 106 pitches, is undefeated since Sept. 11.Lefty Fernando Abad, who pitched with the Astros from 2010-12, posted two more scoreless innings, bringing his total to 7 1/3 this year.Jane Lee / MLB.com
The 11 runs were a season high for the A's, who improved to an American League-best 11-5 with the win. The Astros, growing pains and all, fell to an AL-worst 5-12.Reddick, who entered the day with just four hits in his first 41 at-bats of the season, finished the night with three more, marking the first multihit game of the year for Oakland's right fielder. The home run was his first since Sept. 15.It wasn't the only encouraging performance of the night, as the A's also got three hits from Yoenis Cespedes, including a second-inning solo shot, his fourth of the year.Perhaps feeling left out, Oakland's other outfielder, Coco Crisp, joined in on the homer-happy day with a fifth-inning shot to right-center off Clemens.It was Crisp, making his first start since Sunday, who got things going in the first inning, drawing the first of 10 walks the A's would tally on the night. Cosart issued two more in advance of Cespedes' two-run base hit, setting up a three-run homer from Callaspo, who has nine RBIs in 12 games.Gray wasn't at his best, allowing the Astros a career-high nine hits, but he limited them to three runs in six innings for his third win in four tries this year. The righty, who walked two and struck out four while throwing 106 pitches, is undefeated since Sept. 11.Lefty Fernando Abad, who pitched with the Astros from 2010-12, posted two more scoreless innings, bringing his total to 7 1/3 this year.Jane Lee / MLB.com
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