Astros crush Angels to win in Mexico

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 14-2 win

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 14-2 win
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

After dropping three of four in Minnesota against the Twins to start the week, Houston traveled to Mexico for a two-game international series against the Angels in Monterrey. Here's a recap of the series opener from Saturday night and three hits from the game:

Final Score: Astros 14, Angels 2

Record: 19-14, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Wade Miley (2-2, 3.20 ERA)

Losing pitcher: Trevor Cahill (1-3, 6.95 ERA)

1) Scoring early and often

Alex Bregman started the game on the right foot for Houston, hitting an opposite-field solo home run to start the scoring in the top of the first to grab a 1-0 lead. They would continue to score in each of the first six innings of the game, getting a sacrifice fly from Tyler White, two-run home run from George Springer, two runs from Yuli Gurriel on a solo home run and RBI-triple, and four big runs off the bat of Michael Brantley, two on a home run in the third then two more on a two-RBI double to give Houston a 10-2 lead after six innings.

They'd go scoreless in the seventh, then picked right back up in the eighth on a sac fly from Springer then Bregman's second homer of the night, this time a three-run homer to extend the lead to twelve runs at 14-2.

2) Quality start for Miley 

With the game in Monterrey, a higher elevation town with a warm/humid climate, a high run total was expected in this matchup. However, it was not expected to be so one-sided, and Wade Miley did a great job accounting for that on the mound. Miley allowed just two runs over his six innings of work, one being Albert Pujols' usual toll against Houston with a solo home run. Overall he allowed the two runs on six hits to go along with two walks and two strikeouts. Miley did have a scary moment in the game when a ball off the bat of Mike Trout was lined right at him, but it hit in an opportune spot on his shoulder, avoiding any significant damage.

3) Bullpen wraps things up

With Miley done after six two-run innings, the Astros went to their bullpen to finish off the lopsided game. Hector Rondon worked around a couple of walks in the bottom of the seventh to throw a scoreless inning, then Ryan Pressly extended his phenomenal streak of consecutive scoreless innings by working around a couple of singles in the eighth. Josh James took over in the ninth and closed out the twelve-run win.

Up Next: Weather permitting, Houston and Los Angeles will wrap up this quick two-game series in Monterrey tomorrow at 3:00 PM. Justin Verlander (4-1, 2.45 ERA) will get the start for Houston and will go up against Matt Harvey (1-2, 6.54 ERA) for the Angels.

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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The injury bug bites again.Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images.

The Houston Astros announced on Monday that additional imaging has revealed that Jeremy Peña is dealing with a small fracture in one of his ribs.

Peña left Friday's game after being hit by a pitch in the ribs. The club originally believed they had avoided any fractures or breaks, but new information has informed them otherwise.

Peña is heading to the 10-day injured list retroactive to June 28. This news comes at an unfortunate time, with Jeremy posting the best regular season numbers of his career. He's currently slashing .322, .378, .489 with an .867 OPS.

Peña will miss the Rockies and Dodgers series at a minimum.

Let's hope the team doesn't rush him back too soon and create an even bigger problem. These quotes above from Dana Brown have me concerned. Playing through injuries can create bad habits, and Jeremy has clearly found his swing this season.

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