ASTROS DEFEAT ANGELS
Jon Singleton's two-run double lifts Astros to 3-1 win over Angels
Sep 19, 2024, 10:06 pm
ASTROS DEFEAT ANGELS
Jon Singleton’s tiebreaking two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning lifted the Houston Astros to a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.
The game was tied 1-1 when Ryan Miller (0-1) walked Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker to start the eighth. A fielder's-choice grounder by Yainer Diaz sent Alvarez to third.
Jeremy Peña grounded out on a ball that rolled just in front of the batter’s box before the Angels intentionally walked Victor Caratini to load the bases.
Singleton then smacked his two-strike double, a line drive to center field to score Alvarez and Diaz.
Houston’s magic number to clinch the AL West dropped to five.
Yusei Kikuchi allowed five hits and a run while striking out nine in six innings as the Astros improved to 9-0 in his nine starts since a trade from Toronto on July 29.
Taylor Ward hit a leadoff homer for the Angels, who went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position to snap a two-game winning streak.
Zach Neto doubled with one out in the eighth and he advanced to third on a groundout by Nolan Schanuel. But Bryan Abreu (3-3) retired Brandon Drury on a grounder.
Josh Hader pitched a scoreless ninth for his 32nd save.
Ward hit his fifth leadoff homer in the last 19 games. It was his 25th homer of the season, making him the ninth left fielder in franchise history with at least 25 and the first since 2018.
Kikuchi walked Schanuel with one out before a single by Drury. But Kikuchi struck out the next two batters.
The Astros had just one hit when Diaz reached on Eric Wagaman’s third error of the game to start the fourth. A single by Peña sent him to third and the Astros tied it when he scored on a single by Caratini.
José Suarez permitted three hits and a run with five strikeouts in five innings in his second start this season after spending most of the year in the bullpen.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: OF Mickey Moniak missed a fourth straight game with a bruised left hand after he was hit by a pitch Sunday.
UP NEXT
Houston RHP Justin Verlander (4-6, 5.20 ERA) opposes LHP Tyler Anderson (10-13, 3.60) when the series continues Friday night.
The Houston Astros will look to even their three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night at Daikin Park, with ace-in-the-making Hunter Brown taking the mound.
The Astros (55-36) dropped the series opener 7-5 on Monday, snapping a stretch that saw them win six of their last eight games. But they'll have their best arm on the hill in Brown, who enters with a 9-3 record, a sparkling 1.82 ERA, and a microscopic 0.90 WHIP. The right-hander has been the definition of dominant this season, striking out 126 batters and giving Houston a clear edge in any matchup he starts.
Cleveland (41-48) will counter with Joey Cantillo, who has impressed in limited action. The lefty owns a 3.41 ERA and will face a Houston lineup that has been red-hot, batting .298 over the last 10 games and piling up runs behind contributions from Victor Caratini, Cam Smith, and Jose Altuve.
Despite Monday’s setback, the Astros are still 32-15 at home and boast a 43-13 record when outhitting their opponent. Cleveland, meanwhile, has lost nine of its last 10 and is hitting just .187 over that span — though Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan remain threats to change a game with one swing.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jake Meyers has 15 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 21 RBIs for the Astros. Meyers is dealing with a calf issue and was out of the lineup for Game 1 versus the Guardians.
Caratini is 10 for 38 with two doubles and four home runs over the past 10 games.
Tuesday marks the fifth meeting between the two clubs this season, with the series tied 2-2. With Brown on the mound and the offense continuing to click, Houston will try to reclaim control and keep pace atop the American League.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -211, Guardians +173; over/under is 7 runs.
Lineup breakdown
Here's an early look at Houston's lineup for Game 2. Spots 1-6 are the same as Game 1, except Cooper Hummel is playing left field, with Altuve in the DH spot. Mauricio Dubon is hitting seventh and playing second base, with Zack Short (SS) hitting eighth, followed by Taylor Trammell batting ninth and playing center field. Jake Meyers is out of the lineup again with a calf issue.
Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot
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