Houston @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 8, 2013 ) Houston 2, Oakland 7

The Oakland Athletics are an American League-best 10-5 and lead the AL by a wide margin with a 2.57 ERA, and Sonny Gray is a big reason. Gray, the 18th overall pick in the 2011 draft, tries for his fourth straight quality start to open 2014 when Oakland begins a three-game series against the visiting Houston Astros on Friday. “I still don’t think we’ve seen his best game yet,” Athletics manager Bob Melvin told reporters after Gray defeated 3-1 at Seattle on Saturday as his ERA rose to 0.95.

Gray will oppose Jarred Cosart, a fellow second-year player who Houston has high hopes for and expects to be a key building block to its future. Oakland has won eight of its last 10 games and its closer-by-committee approach has produced three saves in four chances since Jim Johnson was demoted. The Astros, who have a major league-worst .188 batting average, lost for the 11th time in 14 games after Thursday's 5-1 loss to Kansas City completed a three-game sweep for the Royals.

TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, CSN Houston, CSN California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Jarred Cosart (1-1, 4.00 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Sonny Gray (2-0, 0.95)

Cosart yielded three runs and six hits while striking out a career-high eight batters in seven innings, but did not figure in the decision in Houston's 6-5 victory at Texas on Saturday. The 23-year-old League City, Texas, native was 1-1 with a 1.95 ERA in 10 starts last season - 0-0, 0.89 in two outings versus Oakland. Cosart walked 35 and struck out 33 in 60 innings in 2013, but has shown marked improvement with his control as he has six walks and 15 strikeouts in 18 innings this season.

Gray, 5-3 with a 2.67 ERA in 12 games (10 starts) last season, matched a career high with nine strikeouts while allowing five hits in seven innings against Seattle. The 24-year-old Nashville, Tenn., native, who went 1-1 with a 1.13 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 16 innings over two starts against Houston in 2013, has allowed 24 of his 26 career runs in the first three frames. "I still have to prepare myself better in the early innings,” Gray told reporters. “I’ll work on it, get better at it.”

WALK-OFFS

1. The Astros, who set a major league record by striking out 1,535 times (9.5 times per game) in 2013, went down 37 times against the Royals in the three-game series.

2. Oakland RHP Luke Gregerson (1.86 ERA in 9 2/3 innings) leads the American League in appearances with nine.

3. Houston RF George Springer, who made his highly anticipated major-league debut Wednesday, is 2-for-9 with two infield hits in his first two games.

PREDICTION: Athletics 3, Astros 2