Houston can clinch a postseason berth by beating Oakland in the season finale: the Astros are tied with Texas at 80-81 atop the AL West and hold the tiebreaker. Texas needs a win paired with an Astros loss. The 64-97 A’s seek a 65th win to close their season.
Oakland is using a bullpen game, with right-hander Seth Johnson expected to work only an inning or two before manager Mark Kotsay mixes and matches relievers. Johnson had a 6.89 ERA in 11 major-league appearances. Houston starts Peter Lambert, who had a 3.87 ERA in a team-high 28 starts.
