After clunker of a series vs. A's, Astros look ahead

HOUSTON -- Jose Altuve is a veteran of 15 Major League seasons. Cam Smith is a rookie in his first. But both understand that a 162-game schedule will bring ups and downs.

This month has included several downs for the Astros, whose 7-1 loss to the Athletics on Sunday completed a four-game sweep. The skid matches an earlier July slide for the Astros’ longest this season. They have dropped 11 of their last 16 games.

“We’re still in first place,” Altuve said. “That tells you a lot.”

In all four games vs. the A’s, the Astros did not hold the lead a single time. Against a team whose 5.10 ERA ranks 28th in the Majors, Houston went 23-for-103 (.223) at the plate, including 3-for-29 (.103) with runners in scoring position. On Sunday, the Astros’ lone hit with RISP was Mauricio Dubón’s two-out ninth-inning double that prevented a shutout.

Smith, who took a pitch off his left forearm in the second inning, finished 0-for-3. After hitting .307 in May and .303 in June, the rookie is learning about the adjustments made by Major League pitchers, who now recognize him as a focal point of the offense as several regulars recover from injuries. Smith is slashing .209/.273/.275 for a .548 OPS in July and is just 4-for-38 (.105) with 12 strikeouts since the All-Star break.

After batting leadoff Friday and Saturday and in five of the Astros’ previous seven games, Smith was in the six-hole Sunday.

“I want him just to calm down and swing at good pitches,” manager Joe Espada said before the game. “I think of late he’s chasing maybe a little more than we normally see out of him. I think Cam just has to not do too much and focus on things he can do very well. And when he stays in the zone, I think he’s capable of doing a lot of damage.”

Espada, whose roster already has 18 players on the injured list, admitted he held his breath a little when Smith was plunked by J.T. Ginn’s 94.1 mph sinker. But aside from a bruise, the outfielder pronounced himself fine after the game, acknowledging he has to counter the adjustments pitchers are making to him.

“I’d say it’s good to have people on my side at least, even when things aren’t going my way,” Smith said. “I can lean on any of these guys in the locker room to just get me through it. Honestly, it happens to everybody, and it’s just about keeping your head high and continuing to go.”

Taylor Trammell assumed leadoff duties for the third time in five games and went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts and a double. He was stranded after that one-out hit in the sixth, and the Astros have now gone eight games without a run from the leadoff hole.

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That wasn’t a problem for the A’s, who got a home run from Miguel Andujar off Colton Gordon to start the game. Batting leadoff for the first time in his career, Andujar took an up-and-away fastball the other way to right field, making it 18 straight games in which Houston’s opponent has scored first, including 11 times in the first inning.

Gordon (4-3) lasted five innings, striking out six while surrendering four runs on six hits. The Astros will turn to ace left-hander Framber Valdez on Monday, who will be charged with righting the ship against the Nationals, whose 5.11 ERA is a tick worse than the Athletics. In the meantime, said Espada, the four losses to the last-place A’s need to be flushed.

“It’s a series we’ve got to put behind us quickly,” said Espada, whose team stands four games ahead of both Seattle and a surging Texas Rangers team in the American League West. “I look at effort, their mindset, their attitude, and all is good.

“The injuries are part of where we’re at as a club right now, but that’s no excuse. We’ve got to fight through this. While we wait for some of those players to return, we’ve got to find ways to continue to win games, and we have done that. Just in this series, we couldn’t get it done.”