The Astros are doing more than just getting by without injured Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa.

Josh Reddick’s three-run homer highlighted Houston’s seven-run eighth http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , and the Astros routed the Dodgers 14-0 to hand Los Angeles its biggest shutout loss at home in 95 years Saturday night.“It feels really good when you’re without your two big horses in the middle of your lineup and you can still do stuff like that,” Reddick said. “You can still do something special.”The AL West-leading Astros pounded out 13 hits in winning their fourth in a row and stretching their lead to five games over Oakland.“Pretty explosive night for us,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We’re a little banged up so it’s important for us to just keep putting up wins. To shut them out feels good.”The only blight on the Astros’ night was starter Lance McCullers Jr. leaving after 60 pitches because of right elbow discomfort. He allowed two hits over four innings in his first start at Dodger Stadium since Game 7 of last year’s World Series, won by the Astros.McCullers will return to Houston on Sunday morning to be examined.“I felt some abnormal soreness and stiffness that I wouldn’t feel during the game,” he said. “I couldn’t have felt any better to start the game, which is the most frustrating part.”The Dodgers were limited to three hits in losing their fifth straight regular-season game to Houston since 2015. It was their worst shutout loss at home since July 22, 1923, when the Brooklyn Robins lost to Boston at Ebbets Field, according to Stats LLC.“The game’s over,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. “I guess that’s the silver lining.”The Astros batted around twice in the game, including the eighth when John Axford was charged with six runs in a rocky Dodgers debut after being acquired from Toronto at the trade deadline. Axford, a 10-year veteran, failed to record a strikeout on 27 pitches and hit left fielder Tony Kemp Chase Utley Jersey , forcing him to leave the game with a bruised right foot.“It’s the worst outing of my entire career,” Axford said. “I wasn’t helping myself walking guys and hitting a guy. I have a little bit more to offer than what’s shown out there.” Jake Marisnick ran for Kemp in the eighth and hit a two-run homer in the ninth. Houston fans began chanting loudly and the remaining Dodgers fans from the sellout crowd of 53,119 booed in an attempt to drown them out.“We’re a team that’s capable of putting up those kind of numbers,” Reddick said. “These at-bats continue to be contagious for us and carry on from one guy to the next.”Brad Peacock (2-4) got the win with two innings of relief. Marwin Gonzalez homered on the first pitch from Kenta Maeda (7-7) leading off the second for the Astros’ first run.“It’s huge to beat a team like that,” Gonzalez said.Houston batted around in the sixth, extending its lead to 5-0.Yuli Gurriel got things started with a two-run double that scored Reddick, who hit a ground-rule double to deep left center, and Alex Bregman, who walked.After Maeda intentionally walked Gonzalez, Tyler White doubled to center field with the ball eluding a diving Chris Taylor. Gurriel scored and Gonzalez moved to third.Martin Maldonado followed with a sacrifice to J.T. Chargois, who relieved Maeda, and Gonzalez scored for a 5-0 lead.The Astros got to Axford right away in the eighth. Maldonado’s ground-rule double scored two runs, pinch-hitter Evan Gattis added a sacrifice fly and George Springer had an RBI double for his lone hit in six at-bats.Reddick’s three-run drive to right field came off Zac Rosscup http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , just off the disabled list, and made it 12-0. Reddick played for the Dodgers for the last part of the 2016 season.Maeda gave up five runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Japanese right-hander struck out four and walked two.Houston won the series opener 2-1 on Friday and could complete a sweep on Sunday when newly acquired reliever Roberto Osuna is expected to be activated. He is coming off a 75-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy.TRAINER’S ROOMAstros: Osuna pitched one scoreless inning for Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday, allowing one hit with one strikeout. … Altuve (right knee soreness) did some running and baseball activity. “A step forward but not a ton,” Hinch said. “The key is the soreness after the activity.”Dodgers: Placed LHP Alex Wood on 10-day DL with left adductor tendinitis. … RHP Ross Stripling (right big toe inflammation) tossed 30 pitches in a two-inning simulated game. He’s expected to rejoin the team either Thursday or Friday in Colorado.INTERLEAGUE HITTINGGurriel has been especially good in interleague games this season, going 13 for 38 with two doubles and six RBIs.ON THE ROADThe Astros improved their MLB-best road record to 39-17, having won nine of their last 11 away from home. They equaled their largest margin of victory this season.UP NEXTRHP Gerrit Cole (10-3, 2.55 ERA), a former UCLA star, starts the series finale for the Astros. Dodgers rookie right-hander Walker Buehler (4-4, 3.65 ERA) has never faced Houston. SEATTLE (AP) — The Oakland Athletics clinched their first playoff berth in four years Monday night, earning at least an American League wild card when the Tampa Bay Rays lost to the New York Yankees.Following three straight last-place finishes in the AL West, the A’s found out just a couple of minutes after the first pitch of their game against Seattle that they are in the postseason for the first time since 2014.Tampa Bay’s 4-1 loss to the Yankees eliminated the Rays from playoff contention. Oakland still has an outside shot at overtaking Houston for the division title, but is more likely headed toward a wild-card matchup with the Yankees.The A’s could still host that game. They beat the Mariners 7-3 to remain 1½ games behind the Yankees for the top wild card.Few people imagined the A’s could make the playoffs this season Maury Wills Jersey , a young team with few proven stars after finishing 75-87 a year ago. Oakland won only 68 games in 2015 and 69 in 2016.The A’s have the third-lowest payroll among the 30 major league clubs at $78 million for their 40-man roster, ahead of only the White Sox and Rays.Oakland was 34-36 and 11 games behind Seattle in the wild-card race on June 15. The A’s have gone 61-26 since then.“We’ve had some younger players mature and become, for me, stars,” manager Bob Melvin said Monday. “I think the two guys on the corners (third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Matt Olson) should win Gold Gloves.“Our defense is night-and-day to what it was and it’s gotten better as the year’s gone along. We’ve gone from last year being one of the worst defenses in the league to now one of the best. Our bullpen has been a strength for us all year. We don’t just rely on one facet. We seem to be able to win in different ways.”Oakland designated hitter Khris Davis leads the majors with a career-high 46 home runs and has 120 RBIs. Davis has hit at least 40 homers and driven in more than 100 runs in each of this three seasons with the Athletics.Blake Treinen is 9-2 and one of the top closers in baseball this season with 37 saves and a 0.80 ERA, the lowest of all major league relievers with at least 75 innings pitched. Opponents have a .091 batting average against him with runners in scoring position.“It’s amazing,” Melvin said. “Not only is he doing it closing games, he’s doing it in games when we’re tied and he’s pitching two innings at times. The numbers are absolutely fantastic. I don’t know that I’ve seen numbers like that from any closer in quite some time. He’s meant a lot to this team.”The A’s are the only team in the majors with an undefeated record this season when leading after seven innings (68-0). They have the best record in one-run games at 31-13.Oakland made key moves to bolster the pitching staff via trades over the summer by adding veteran relievers Jeurys Familia and Fernando Rodney and starter Mike Fiers, who is 5-1 with a 2.90 ERA since joining the Athletics.The A’s overcame losing key starters from their rotation down the stretch. That included left-hander Sean Manaea, who pitched a no-hitter on April 21 against Boston and is now done for the year recovering from arthroscopic shoulder surgery that took place this past week.The Athletics are making their fourth playoff appearance in the last seven seasons (all under Melvin) and their 27th postseason appearance all-time. The A’s lost at Kansas City 9-8 in 12 innings in the 2014 wild-card game, the last time Oakland reached the postseason.The last time the A’s reached the World Series was 1990, losing in four games to the Cincinnati Reds. Oakland won the 1989 World Series (which took place during the Bay Area earthquake) in four straight games over the San Francisco Giants.