Paredes Powers Astros Past Athletics

Isaac Paredes of the Astros running out a home run against the Athletics

Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images

June 5, 2026

Astros 5, Athletics 1

The Houston Astros defeated the Athletics, 5–1, on Friday night at Daikin Park behind a four-RBI performance from Isaac Paredes and another strong effort from the pitching staff.

Isaac Paredes drove in three of those runs with a first-inning home run, giving the Astros an early lead that the Athletics never overcame.

Astros – Athletics Game Summary

The Astros wasted little time getting on the board. Jeremy Peña opened the first inning with a single, and Yordan Alvarez followed with a walk. After Christian Walker recorded the first out, Paredes launched his three-run homer to left-center field. The blast gave the Astros a 3–0 lead.

The Athletics threatened in the second inning. Tyler Soderstrom walked, and Henry Bolte and Zack Gelof followed with singles to load the bases. Peter Lambert responded by striking out Jeff McNeil and Darell Hernaiz to end the inning.

The Astros extended the lead in the third. Alvarez lined a single to right field, and Walker followed with an RBI triple. Paredes drove him in with a sacrifice fly, increasing the advantage to 5–0.

The Athletics finally broke through in the sixth inning. Brent Rooker connected on a solo home run to left field, cutting the deficit to 5–1.

The Astros relief unit shut the door from there. Enyel De Los Santos escaped a sixth-inning threat. Bryan King delivered a scoreless seventh. Josh Hader entered in the ninth and struck out all three batters he faced to secure the victory.

What Went Right for the Astros

Took Early Lead

Paredes made the biggest swing of the night in the first inning. The third baseman finished with a three-run homer, a sacrifice fly, and four RBI. His early homer gave the Astros immediate control of the game.

Escaped Early Jams

Lambert faced a bases-loaded, one out situation in the second inning. He responded with back-to-back strikeouts. From there, he kept the Athletics off the scoreboard for three more innings. The escape prevented the Athletics from changing the game’s momentum.

Lights-out Relief Pitching

De Los Santos, King, and Hader combined to allow no runs across the final 3 2/3 innings. The trio recorded eight strikeouts and faced the minimum number of hitters possible. Only one Athletics batter reached base off them as a unit — Nick Kurtz. Kurtz led off the eighth with a walk against King. Two batters later, King erased Kurtz when he induced a side-retiring double play from Soderstrom. Additionally, Hader — returning from a 10-month injury absence — struck out the side in order to end the game.

What Went Wrong for the Astros

Strikeouts

The Astros struck out 12 times. Strikeouts are unproductive outs. In a game like this one, it did not matter, but in a close game, it could haunt them.

Limited Production after the Third

The Astros only collected two hits after the third inning. Again, in a 5–1 win, this is not a big deal. But in closer games, it could be.

Quick Hits

Christian Walker recorded his first triple of the season.
Yordan Alvarez reached base twice and scored two runs.
Jeremy Peña collected a hit and scored during the first inning.
Peter Lambert stranded three runners in the second inning.
The Astros pitching staff collectively recorded 14 strikeouts.

What’s Next

The Astros continue their series against the Athletics on Saturday at Daikin Park. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. Central.

The Athletics will start right-hander Kade Morris, who will be making his major league debut. The Astros will counter with right-hander Tatsuya Imai, who enters with a 2-3 record, a 5.52 ERA, and 28 strikeouts.