Houston comes up short of the sweep

Astros drop finale to Angels as magic number stays put

Astros' Lance McCullers Jr.
Lance McCullers Jr. allowed some costly walks to the Angels on Thursday. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Lance McCullers Jr. allowed some costly walks to the Angels on Thursday.

After blowing past the Angels in extra innings on Wednesday, the Astros tried to wrap up a series sweep with a win in the finale in Anaheim on Thursday. A much quieter night at the plate by their bats prevented that, though, as Los Angeles would salvage a game to send Houston out of town wearing a loss.

Final Score: Angels 3, Astros 2

Astros' Record: 91-62, first in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Austin Warren (2-0)

Losing Pitcher: Lance McCullers Jr. (12-5)

Angels take advantage of walks by McCullers Jr.

Both starting pitchers had dominant starts to their nights, with both lineups getting retired in order as no one would reach base in the first three innings of the finale. Houston got the first hit and runner in the top of the fourth and even loaded the bases but came away empty-handed as the game remained scoreless. Los Angeles also got in the hit column in the bottom of the inning against Lance McCullers Jr., getting a leadoff single that would come around to score later on a sac fly to make it a 1-0 Angels lead.

McCullers Jr. rebounded by erasing a leadoff walk in the fifth, and in the top of the sixth, his offense tied things up with an RBI single by Carlos Correa. Houston's starter put himself back on the hook in the bottom of the inning, though, as two walks would set up a two-RBI double by former Astro Jack Mayfield, putting LA back in front 3-1. McCullers Jr. would finish the inning, but that would be it for him: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 101 P.

Astros drop the finale

Fresh off the paternity list, Ryne Stanek took over out of Houston's bullpen in the bottom of the seventh. He faced four batters, getting two outs while putting two on via a walk and a single, prompting a change to Blake Taylor, who would finish the inning to keep it a two-run game. Houston worked a walk in the top of the eighth but would strand it as they remained behind 3-1.

Seth Martinez was the next reliever for the Astros, coming in to try and keep the score put in the bottom of the eighth, and he did so by erasing a one-out double. Houston would get within a run in the top of the ninth, courtesy of a pinch-hit solo homer by Jason Castro with two outs, but would get stopped there as the Angels would take the finale. The loss keeps Houston's magic number stuck in place as they turn the page to the next leg of their trip.

Up Next: The Astros will continue this road trip on Friday, picking up in Oakland with the opener of a pivotal three-game series at 8:40 PM Central. The pitching matchup in the first game will be Frankie Montas (12-9, 3.57 ERA) for the A's going opposite of Zack Greinke (11-6, 4.11 ERA) for Houston.

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The Royals beat the Astros 2-0. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.

Michael Wacha scattered four hits over six innings, Vinnie Pasquantino homered and the Kansas City Royals beat the Houston Astros 2-0 for the second straight night Saturday to run their winning streak to six.

Wacha (1-3) once again received little run support, but the veteran right-hander made the meager production stand up on chilly evening at Kauffman Stadium. He struck out six while walking two and never allowed a runner past second base.

Steven Cruz worked the seventh for Kansas City, his seventh appearance this season without allowing a run. John Schreiber left runners on the corners in the eighth, and Carlos Estévez had a perfect ninth for his seventh save.

Bobby Witt Jr. doubled and scored in the first inning for the Royals, extending his career-best hitting streak to 18 games.

Framber Valdez (1-3) gave up a sacrifice fly to Mark Canha in the first inning and Pasquantino's shot down the right-field line in the fifth. Otherwise, the Astros left-hander kept Kansas City in check, allowing three hits and two walks over eight innings.

Valdez had tossed seven shutout innings against the Royals last August in a 3-2 victory.

The Astros, who have lost five straight at the K, have managed just nine hits while getting shut out over the first two games of the series. They had rolled into Kansas City having won three straight and five of their last six games.

Key moment

Isaac Parades hit a two-out double and Jeremy Peña followed with a single to give Houston runners on the corners in the eighth inning. Schreiber bounced back to strike out Christian Walker with a four-seam fastball to end the threat.

Key stat

The Royals have only scored seven runs in the 32 innings that Wacha has pitched this season.

Up next

RHP Hunter Brown (3-1, 1.16) tries to extend a 24-inning scoreless streak for Houston in the series finale Sunday. LHP Kris Bubic (2-1, 1.45) gets the start for Kansas City after tossing seven shutout innings against the Rockies his last time out.

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