After getting the two-game sweep of the Rockies at home in the middle of the week, the Astros entered Angel Stadium as visitors on Friday after a day off looking to grab their third-straight win. Thanks to one big inning and solid pitching, they would get it.

Final Score: Astros 4, Angels 1

Astros' Record: 69-46, first in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Zack Greinke (11-3)

Losing Pitcher: Patrick Sandoval (3-6)

Tucker's slam gets Houston on the board in a big way

After just a handful of hits and no runs by both teams through the first three innings, Houston started the scoring in the top of the fourth. It came in a big way, with two walks and a single to load the bases, bringing Kyle Tucker to the plate, who delivered a 400-foot grand slam to give the Astros a 4-0 lead.

Greinke carves up LA's lineup

That gave Zack Greinke a lead to work with, and he held the Angels off the board. He allowed two baserunners over the first three innings, a ground-rule double in the second and a single in the third. He retired the other 21 batters he faced, carving up the Angels lineup in seven scoreless innings. His final line: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 94 P.

Astros grab the opener

First out of the Astros' bullpen was Kendall Graveman, who pitched the bottom of the eighth. He got through the frame, but not before allowing LA's first run of the night, a two-out RBI single by Shohei Ohtani to make it 4-1. Ryan Pressly took over in the bottom of the ninth, tossing a 1-2-3 inning to grab the save and wrap up the win for Houston to take the opener.

Up Next: The middle game of this series will be an 8:07 PM Central start on Saturday. Luis Garcia (8-6, 3.29 ERA) will look to get his ninth win of the year for the Astros, going opposite of Jaime Barria (2-0, 4.21 ERA) for the Angels.