Oakland second baseman Chad Pinder launched a two run homer off of the wall above the Crawford Boxes at Houston’s Minute Maid Park on Friday to give his squad a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth.

The 26-year old is currently hitting .286/.359/.514 with a wRC+ of 141 through 39 plate appearances through the season’s first month. So far Pinder has only played in 12 of the A’s 25 games, because he’s platooning with Jed Lowrie…but it’ll be interesting to see if he’s able to hit his way into a full-time gig.

With Sean Manaea on the mound, roughly a week after tossing a no-hitter, it’s safe to say that the Athletics two-run lead is in really good hands…despite the dangerous line-up that the Astros have.

Update

It’s now a 6-1 lead through the top of the seventh.

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