Astros look to begin long-awaited rebound vs. A's

Even with their victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, the Houston Astros remain 10 games under .500 and desperately need a long string of victories to build something resembling significant momentum. To that end, the Astros should view the bounce-back performance delivered by veteran right-hander Justin Verlander on Sunday as a microcosm of their greater overall hopes. Verlander twirled seven shutout innings in a 9-3 victory over the Tigers in Detroit that enabled the Astros to complete a six-game road trip at 3-3.