Astros shut out as Athletics win 5-0 in Houston

At Daikin Park in Houston, the Astros ran into a cold night at the plate and dropped a 5-0 game to the Athletics. The loss turned on two Oakland home runs and a sharp start from Joey Estes Jump, who kept Houston off the scoreboard into the seventh inning.

Houston never found much rhythm against Jump, and that put pressure on an Astros club that needed clean pitching and a timely hit. Instead, the Athletics grabbed control with power from Nick Kurtz and Brent Rooker, then let their starter and bullpen carry the rest.

Astros offense stalls against Joey Jump

Jump worked 6 1/3 scoreless innings and gave the Athletics exactly what they needed on the road. He limited Houston's chances, stayed out of major trouble, and handed the game to the bullpen with the Astros still searching for their first run.

That pitching line defined the night. Houston could not string together the kind of inning that changes a low-scoring game, and the Athletics made them pay for every missed chance. A shutout loss always lands hard at home, especially when the opposing starter controls the pace that deep into the game.

Athletics get the big swings in Houston

Kurtz and Rooker supplied the damage with home runs, giving Oakland a cushion that kept growing as the Astros stayed quiet. Those swings were enough to flip the tone of the game and force Houston to play from behind for most of the night.

The Astros pitching staff did not get blown out, but the margin for error disappeared once the Athletics started leaving the yard. In a game where Houston scored zero, even a couple of clean extra-base swings were decisive.

Houston will try to reset quickly in the next matchup on the schedule, with the Astros needing more traffic on the bases after being shut out at home. A response starts with getting the top of the order on base and cutting off the kind of early power that put this game away.

This article is a summary of reporting by AOL.com. Read the full story here.