Spence helps Astros survive Athletics 7-5 to keep playoff hopes alive

The Associated Press — September 24, 2026, 11:28 p.m. WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lucas Spence hit three home runs, Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes also homered, and the Houston Astros outlasted the Oakland Athletics 7-5 on Thursday night. Houston (79-80) remains tied with the Texas Rangers for the AL West playoff position with three games left in the regular season. The Astros hold the tiebreaker over Texas after a 9-4 record in head-to-head matchups this year. Spence’s second home run of the game came in the seventh inning, a 387‑foot blast that gave Houston a 5-4 lead. He added his third homer in the ninth inning to seal the scoring. Called up on Wednesday, Spence had entered the game with just 40 major‑league at‑bats. The Athletics answered in the third when Jeff McNeil launched a three‑run homer to tie the contest, and Zack Gelof followed with a solo shot to put Oakland ahead 4-3. Gelof’s second home run of the night in the eighth inning cut the deficit to one run. Looking ahead, Athletics left‑hander Jacob Lopez (6-5, 5.68 ERA) is slated to start Game 2 against Houston on Friday.