Houston gets the lopsided win
Valdez, Astros dominate the Angels in 10-0 rout in Anaheim
Sep 20, 2021, 11:55 pm
Houston gets the lopsided win
Framber Valdez was dominant against the Angels on Monday night.
With a series win at home over the weekend, the Astros started their final regular-season road trip on Monday, squaring off against the Angels in Anaheim. They held the momentum firmly in their favor all night, dominating both sides of the game to start the series with a victory.
Final Score: Astros 10, Angels 0
Astros' Record: 89-61, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Framber Valdez (11-5)
Losing Pitcher: Jaime Barria (2-4)
Hey Siri, what's the score of the #Astros game? 🤔#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/EhcTPFCdaC
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 21, 2021
With Jose Altuve being given the night off, Houston gave Jose Siri a shot at the leadoff spot, and he delivered to start the opener in Anaheim. He launched a missile to left field, 426 feet, to put the Astros in front 1-0 before the Angels could record an out. Later that same inning, they strung together three singles, the third being an RBI by Carlos Correa to double the lead.
NSFW.#ForTheHÂ pic.twitter.com/OwoWyr8gWj
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 21, 2021
That gave Framber Valdez a lead to work with as he stepped on the rubber in the bottom of the inning, and he didn't give it up as he would post a dominant start. He started with a 1-2-3 first, worked around a couple of singles in the second, then used a double play to face the minimum in the third.
He retired Los Angeles in order again in the fourth, stranded a two-out single in the fifth and a single and a walk in the sixth. He had his worst inning of the night in the seventh, giving up a leadoff single then loading the bases on back-to-back two-out walks. He'd escape the jam, though, keeping the shutout alive and finalizing his impressive line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 98 P.
Houston tacked on an insurance run in the top of the eighth, getting a one-out double by Correa to set up an RBI single by Marwin Gonzalez, pushing the lead to 3-0. Things escalated from there, as another single put two on base for Martin Maldonado, who blew the game open with a three-run homer to make it a six-run lead.
Brooks Raley took over for Valdez in the bottom of the inning, and with a 1-2-3 inning, made it his eighth appearance in a row without allowing a run. The Astros didn't let up in the top of the ninth, getting two hits and a walk to load the bases before a grand slam by Gonzalez made it 10-0 and gave him 5 RBI in a two-inning span. Seth Martinez, called up by the Astros earlier in the day, made his big-league debut in the bottom of the ninth and closed out the lopsided win to put Houston's magic number at 6.
Up Next: The second of this four-game set will be another 8:38 PM Central start on Tuesday. Jose Urquidy (7-3, 3.38 ERA) will take the mound for the Astros, going opposite Packy Naughton (0-2, 4.32 ERA) for the Angels.
Cam Smith hit a three-run homer in his first game against the Cubs since being traded to Houston and Brandon Walter threw six solid innings in his first MLB victory as the Astros beat Chicago 7-4 on Friday night.
THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER.#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/xZ9dvfZYTs
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 28, 2025
Yainer Diaz added a three-run homer as AL West-leading Houston extended its winning streak to five games.
3-run Yainer Bomb!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/4zku17xsR0
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 28, 2025
The Astros scored four runs in the third off Cubs starter Cade Horton (3-2), with Jose Altuve scoring on a sacrifice fly by Victor Caratini before Diaz capped the inning with his 377-foot shot to left-center.
Smith, a first-round draft selection by Chicago last year was acquired by the Astros in the offseason as part of the deal for Kyle Tucker, extended Houston’s lead to 7-0 in the fourth with his home run off the left field façade, his sixth of the season. Smith had two hits and scored two runs.
Walter (1-1), a 28-year-old left-hander, allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts. Josh Hader got the final out for his 22nd save.
Jeremy Peña exited in the fifth with left rib soreness. He was hit by a pitch in his left side in the second. There was no immediate word on the extent of his injury.
Nico Hoerner hit a solo home run in the fifth, and Matt Shaw added a two-run double in the seventh and an RBI double in the ninth for NL Central-leading Chicago.
Horton allowed seven runs on eight hits with four walks in four innings.
Tucker was hitless in his return to Houston. He kept the game scoreless in the first, throwing Isaac Paredes out at the plate to end the frame.
Hader inducing a lineout to center by Ian Happ to end it with Tucker, representing the tying run, on deck.
Houston has its second five-game winning streak for the month of June, and improved to an MLB-best 18-6 this month.
Cubs RHP Colin Rea (4-3, 4.42 ERA) starts the second game of the three-game series Saturday. Houston has not named a starter.