Houston takes two of three from LA

Tucker's homer lifts Astros to series win over Angels

Astros' Kyle Tucker
Kyle Tucker's fifth inning homer ended up being the difference in Sunday's series finale against the Angels. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

Kyle Tucker's fifth-inning homer ended up being the difference in Sunday's series finale against the Angels.

After splitting the first two games of the series, the Astros hoped to have an outing more like their performance in Friday's opener than Saturday's middle game. Although it would be as strong of an offensive performance as that, they would get enough runs and have solid pitching to win the series.

Final Score: Astros 3, Angels 1

Astros' Record: 83-59, first in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Lance McCullers Jr. (12-4)

Losing Pitcher: Jose Quijada (0-1)

Houston strikes first, Angels tie it up against McCullers Jr.

After Lance McCullers Jr. would erase a leadoff single and walk for a scoreless top of the first, Houston would get the scoring started in the bottom half. A leadoff single by Jose Altuve would get him in position, after a one-out walk, to score later in the inning on an RBI single by Yuli Gurriel, putting them in front 1-0.

McCullers Jr. held that lead well through four innings, hitting a batter in the second, allowing a single in the fourth, but retiring the other batters he faced along the way over that span. Los Angeles tied the game up against him in the fifth, though, with a one-out solo homer, the only run he'd give up on the day, as he'd go on to finish six quality innings. His final line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR, 102 P.

Tucker homers, bullpen holds down the lead to win the series

 

McCullers Jr. would end up getting the win, as before his last inning of work, his offense would give him a lead. Yuli Gurriel reached base on a one-out single, setting up Kyle Tucker in the next at-bat, who launched a 406-foot go-ahead homer to make it a 3-1 Houston lead. That gave their bullpen three innings to cover and hang on to the two-run advantage.

They'd do it well, using arguably their strongest trio of relievers, starting with Ryne Stanek in the top of the seventh, who sat down the Angels 1-2-3. Kendall Graveman had the eighth and was able to work around a leadoff walk and one-out single to maintain the lead. That presented Ryan Pressly with a save opportunity in the ninth. He would notch his 24th of the season to wrap up the win, giving Houston the series win and continuing to dwindle their magic number to win the division in 2021.

Up Next: With this homestand over, the Astros will take back to the road, traveling up to Arlington to take on the Rangers for the final four games of the year in a series starting Monday at 7:05 PM Central. The opener's pitching matchup sets up to be Jake Odorizzi (6-7, 4.28 ERA) for Houston and Spencer Howard (0-3, 6.21 ERA) for Texas.

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Astros pitching continues to lead the way! Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros sent a message loud and clear with one of their most emphatic wins of the season, an 18-1 demolition of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they did it without Yordan Alvarez or Jeremy Peña in the lineup.

Jose Altuve silenced the Dodger Stadium boos with a pair of home runs and even stayed after the game to sign autographs for young fans. Lance McCullers Jr. delivered six strong innings in a bounce-back outing, and the offense erupted behind big nights from Zach Short, Cam Smith, Yainer DĂ­az, and Christian Walker.

With key contributions across the board, this was a total team win, one that highlights the depth, momentum, and legitimacy of this Astros squad as the second half approaches. Manager Joe Espada is pressing all the right buttons, and with All-Star nods for Josh Hader, Hunter Brown, and Peña, Houston looks like a team no one wants to face right now.

Don't miss the video below as ESPN Houston's John Granato and Lance Zierlein react to the big series in LA, and much more!

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