Chris Bassitt combined with two relievers on a seven-hitter Monday night, and Sean Murphy homered and drove in three runs as the Oakland Athletics began a five-game showdown against the visiting Houston Astros with a 6-0 victory.

Oakland's Tony Kemp had an RBI double in a two-run second inning, and Stephen Piscotty hit a run-scoring single to ignite a three-run eighth. The first-place A's (24-14) earned their fourth win in six meetings with second-place Houston (21-20) this season.

The home team has won all six of the matchups, with Oakland having hosted four. The A's also will host the last four over the course of the next three days, beginning with a doubleheader on Tuesday.

In his third start against the Astros this season, Bassitt (3-2) pitched around trouble for most of his seven innings, scattering seven hits. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.

Houston put runners at first and third twice, and first and second once, but always with two outs. Bassitt successfully pitched out of the two-out threat on all three occasions.

A's reliever Jake Diekman used a double play to complete a scoreless eighth before Lou Trivino worked a 1-2-3 ninth to close things out.

The A's did all the scoring they would need in the second inning following a Robbie Grossman leadoff single against Astros starter Cristian Javier (4-2).

Kemp drove in Grossman with a one-out double to open the scoring, after which he was gunned down trying to steal third.

Murphy followed with his fourth homer of the season for a 2-0 lead.

Javier was pulled after five innings, having allowed just the two runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out three.

The A's made it a runaway against the Houston bullpen, adding a run in the seventh on a Ramon Laureano sacrifice fly before blowing the game open in the eighth.

Murphy capped a three-RBI night with a two-run single in the eighth, pushing the lead to 6-0.

The three RBIs were the second-most ever in a single game for Murphy, who had totaled just 14 in his first 49 games over the past two seasons. Four of those first 14 came in a win at Houston last September.

Murphy and Piscotty had two hits each for Oakland, which won for the second time in four games since being quarantined in Houston after a positive coronavirus test.

Carlos Correa had two of Houston's seven hits, all of which were singles, in the club's fifth straight loss.

--Field Level Media