The Astros pulled off an improbable comeback last night, dropping a four-spot in the ninth inning to take down the Angels 6-4. It was one of those games that makes you shake your head, especially if you’re an Angels fan, because they absolutely gave this one away. Houston grabbed their sixth win in their last seven games, but the real story is how the Angels stumbled.
The Angels’ Ninth-Inning Meltdown Nobody Saw Coming
This wasn’t some dominant offensive outburst from Houston; it was death by a thousand paper cuts for the Angels. Isaac Paredes got dinged by a pitch with the bases loaded, tying the game up. Then, by the narrowest of margins, LaMonte Wade Jr. drew a walk to give Houston their first lead of the entire night. To really twist the knife, Angels reliever Sam Bachman made a fielding error that allowed Yordan Alvarez to score an insurance run, sealing the deal. Ten Astros batters came to the plate in that inning, just a total meltdown for the Angels. Even Josh Hader made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth, walking a pair before finally closing the door for his 13th save.
From Disaster Start to Blown Lead: A Rocky Night
But let’s be real, this game never should’ve gotten to an improbable ninth-inning comeback. The Angels had this thing in the bag, up 4-0 by the end of the third. Houston was lucky to only be down two runs after the first inning, and that’s thanks entirely to Tatsuya Imai. The dude threw just 33 pitches, but 21 of ’em were balls, resulting in four walks and an express ticket to the dugout from Manager Joe Espada. What a disastrous start! AJ Blubaugh came in to strand three runners, but the Angels still tacked on more runs. Vaughn Grissom blasted his seventh homer of the season, driving in his second run of the night, and after a Jose Altuve throwing error, Josh Lowe scored on a Jo Adell double. Blubaugh actually pitched pretty well for 2 1/3 innings after the initial mess, only allowing one run.
Christian Javier Shines While Streaks Continue
Credit to the Astros for hanging tough though. Taylor Trammell got them on the board with his fifth homer of the year in the fourth, a two-out blast. But the real hero for Houston was Christian Javier. He came in for relief in the fourth, pitched five absolute gems, striking out seven and scattering just three hits. He even struck out the side in the eighth on only 70 pitches! You gotta think that performance puts him right back in the conversation for a starting rotation spot next month. Yordan Alvarez snapped an 0-8 slump, driving in Jeremy Pena, who’s now rocking a nine-game hitting streak and a league-leading 78 RBIs. Unfortunately for Jose Altuve, his 0-5 night means he’s now stuck in an 0-13 slump. Rough.
The Astros have now won six of their last seven games, showing they can absolutely steal one when it counts. Tomorrow night, Peter Lambert takes the mound for them, with first pitch set for 8:38pm CDT. Can they keep this momentum rolling, or will the Angels find a way to stop the bleeding?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply