One of the hottest hitters in baseball is playing in this game. But he's not on the Astros. Oakland's Brent Rooker is batting well above .400 this month with five homers and 14 RBI's. 

The A's should be able to hang in going against struggling Astros rookie pitcher Spencer Arrighetti, having Rooker's sizzling bat and a rested Mason Miller in the bullpen. 

Oakland actually has a better record than Houston. 

Arrighetti is making his sixth start. He has an 8.44 ERA. He might not be in Houston's rotation much longer. If you toss out an 8-1 loss to Seattle, the A's would be averaging eight runs in their last five games. 

The A's are going with veteran Ross Stripling, who has a 5.14 ERA. Stripling got beat up by the Rangers in his last outing. But in his previous two starts, he gave up a combined two runs in 11 2/3 innings against the Pirates and Orioles.