PLAYING THE PONIES
SHRP selections for Saturday night from Fred Faour
Feb 3, 2018, 7:04 am
FIRST
2-5-4-6
OKAVANGO ALPHA has solid works for his debut tonight
SECOND
2-5-3-6
DARK DESERT WINE is another RP shipper who looks like a standout
THIRD
4-1-6-5
KATIE'S SHADOW comes from solid barn; should improve off last
FOURTH
5-2-6-8
RB HOT DATE offers no value, but will be very tough in this spot
FIFTH
1-5-7-6
IMAGINARY IMAGE should improve in start No. 2 for top barn
SIXTH
5-2-1-4
BEAT GOES ON is in sharp form for top barn and is in a logical spot
SEVENTH
7-3-4-1
FROSTED BLING towers over these on paper but will be a short price
EIGHTH
2-1-5-7
LUCKY RENDEZVOUS could turn the tables on the 1 here with a clean trip
NINTH
7-6-4-5
Taking a flyer on firster HEARTS COMMAND for sneaky good barn
Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.