Brown (6-4) took the loss Friday against the A's after allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and four walks while striking out four over 5.1 innings.
Brown carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, but a fielding error by Jose Altuve sparked the Athletics' comeback. He departed after a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out, and Bennett Sousa immediately surrendered a two-run single to Michael Stefanic, with the inherited runners giving Brown his two runs allowed. The right-hander otherwise held the Athletics to two hits, but his four walks raised his pitch count and kept him from working deeper into the game. Even though this outing didn't end as Brown or the Astros would've wanted, the right-hander ended the regular season on a strong note, allowing two or fewer earned runs in seven of his last eight starts, and just two over his last 15.1 frames. He ends the regular season with a 3.19 ERA in 20 starts and 107.1 innings, making it the third straight season in which he posted a regular-season ERA below 3.50.