Sometimes when you cant score or you dont hit, theres a dullness to the game and theres a lack of energy or enthusiasm, but o

HOUSTON -- Lance McCullers couldnt find the strike zone in the third inning and Houston couldnt muster many hits most of the game, which led to a tough day for the Astros.Kendall Graveman threw eight solid innings and Stephen Vogt had three hits, including a homer, as the Oakland Athletics held on to beat the Astros 3-2 on Saturday.McCullers (4-3) allowed three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and four walks in a season-low four innings. The right-hander had allowed four runs over his previous three starts before Saturday.I didnt see that he was at his best, Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. He was battling himself with three walks in the third inning. He was missing on all fronts. His pitch count had run up and he wasnt hitting the spots he needed to. It made for a shorter outing for him. It just didnt seem like it was his day.Vogt hit a solo home run to left field in the second, an RBI single in the third and came around to score on a Marcus Semien bases loaded walk that made it 3-0. The Semien walk was the third straight walk in the third inning following the Vogt single.Im not going to let three batters define my outing, McCullers said. I had a bad stretch with those three batters, and it hurt me. You take those three batters away -- I mean, you cant, but if you look around those, Im sure my strike percentage was pretty good.Graveman (5-6) allowed two runs on five hits and struck out three in extending his win streak to four games. The outing tied the longest of his career at eight innings, which he set June 13, 2015 at the Angels. He retired the first 14 batters to start the game before A.J. Reed singled with two outs in the fifth.We didnt do much to threaten him in the early innings -- in the first eight innings, Hinch said. We had a hard time getting multiple guys on base, but he did a good job of moving his fastball around.The right-hander was replaced by Ryan Dull after allowing singles to Jake Marisnick and Marwin Gonzalez to lead off the ninth. Marisnick scored on a Jose Altuve groundout to third.Dull induced a Carlos Correa pop-up before Luis Valbuena hit an RBI single to cut the lead to one, but Dull struck out Carlos Gomez to earn his first save.Were going to keep fighting and we play until the end, Hinch said. Sometimes when you cant score or you dont hit, theres a dullness to the game and theres a lack of energy or enthusiasm, but our guys dont quit.Coco Crisp had two hits after serving a one-game suspension Friday, and Josh Reddick had two hits, including a triple.TRAINING ROOMAstros: OF Colby Rasmus was out of the lineup for a second straight game due to an ear infection. Hes still not feeling well, Hinch said. He would have played today and yesterday if he would have felt up for it, but it sounds like hes still a little under the weather. . RHP Scott Feldman, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings, left the game in the ninth. After allowing a single to Jed Lowrie to lead off the ninth, Hinch went out to the mound with the trainer to look at Feldman. Following two warm-up pitches, Feldman was replaced by Chris Devenski. Hinch said Feldman was a little stiff, but it was a precautionary move, and he was day-to-day.UP NEXTAthletics: LHP Sean Manaea (3-5) will try to right the ship on the road Sunday when he takes the mound for the final game before the All Star break. Manaea is 0-3 with an 11.66 ERA in three road starts this season.Astros: LHP Dallas Keuchel (6-9) will look to pick up his fourth straight victory Sunday. Keuchel allowed two runs on five hits in his last outing Tuesday against the Mariners.DULLS STREAK ENDSDull had stranded all 36 runners he had faced entering Saturday, but that streak came to an end on the Altuve fielders choice groundout in the ninth. The streak of inherited runners stranded was the longest by any pitcher in the expansion era, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Stitched Tigers Jerseys . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Detroit Tigers Gear .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. https://www.cheaptigers.com/ . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Tigers Jerseys China . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Detroit Tigers Shirts . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. England lock Maro Itojes return to action ended in defeat as champions Saracens suffered only a second loss of the league campaign.Three Tom Homer penalties and a Max Clark try lifted Bath into second place as they edged out Saracens 14-11 at the Recreation Ground.Wing Sean Maitland touched down for the Aviva Premiership leaders, while fly-half Alex Lozowski - he was also yellow-carded - kicked a penalty and drop-goal, before sending a 52-metre chance wide with the games final kick.European player of the year Itoje missed Englands four-Test autumn series after breaking his right hand during Saracens European Champions Cup clash against the Scarlets in late October.A six week lay-off ensued, but he reappeared as Saracens looked to maintain their place at the Premiership summit, with his comeback arriving a week before they resume their European campaign through back-to-back games against Sale Sharks.Itojes selection was the headline team news, but Bath were also bolstered by wing Semesa Rokodoguni and lock Dave Attwood being released from England duty, while Wales internationals Luke Charteris and Taulupe Falteau also featured.Homer kicked Bath into a sixth-minute lead as the home side dominated early territory and possession, only for Lozowski to tie things up midway through the first-half, before a second Homer strike - his 10th successful kick from the last 10 attempts - edged the home side back in front.Baths control had to tell in terms of a try, and they finally breached Saracensdefence when centre Ben Tapuai ran strongly before delivering a superb pass to his midfield partner Clark, who touched down.Homer drifted the connversion wide, but Bath were good value for an 11-3 lead as Saracens, at times, struggled to repel their attacking fluency.ddddddddddddhe visitors, from their most threatening spell of the first-half, went close to a try after pummelling Baths forwards, but they could find no way through as Bath held out despite Faletau going off after he appeared to take an accidental finger in the eye.Saracens, though, kept plugging away, and they reaped a reward just two minutes before the break when patient attacking play ended with Scotland international Maitland crossing wide out as Baths lead was trimmed to three points.And Saracens dominated the opening flurries of the second period, launching several attacks before they settled for a Lozowski drop-goal that levelled the score.But Lozowski then blotted his copybook when he was sin-binned by referee Greg Garner for a high tackle on his opposite number Dan Bowden, and Homer kicked the resulting penalty for a 14-11 advantage.Full-back Alex Goode, handed the kicking duties while Lozowski was off, missed a long-range chance to haul Saracens level, although it was the cue for a sustained spell of pressure.Baths poor kicking out of hand invited Saracens - led by Goode - to attack them - and it seemed only a matter of time before such territorial control would result in a try.But no matter how much they huffed and puffed, Saracens could not find a way through and Bath held on for what could prove to be a significant victory in their quest for a title play-off spot. 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