José Soriano turned in one of his best outings of the season, Oswald Peraza homered for the first time since joining the team, and the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Houston Astros 3-0 on Sunday at Minute Maid Park.
Soriano (10-9) was dominant across seven innings, giving up just one hit while striking out eight. The right-hander allowed only three baserunners, walking two and navigating through Houston’s lineup with efficiency. Luis García entered in the eighth and gave up one hit, while Kenley Jansen worked a perfect ninth for his 25th save, sealing the Angels’ second straight win.
The Angels broke through against Houston starter Hunter Brown (10-7) in the fifth inning. With two outs, Peraza launched a solo home run into the bullpen in right-center field, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. The shot marked his first long ball since arriving in a trade from the New York Yankees and came one day after his two-run single in the ninth provided the deciding margin in the Angels’ 4-1 victory.
Los Angeles extended its advantage in the eighth. Yoán Moncada drew a walk against reliever Lance McCullers Jr., making his first bullpen appearance since 2018, and scored on Mike Trout’s double that bounced off the center-field wall. Taylor Ward followed with a walk, and when Luis Rengifo put a ball in play, McCullers overthrew first base, allowing Trout to cross the plate for a 3-0 lead.
Houston’s offense was held in check throughout the afternoon. Yordan Alvarez singled in the first inning, and Soriano issued walks in the second and sixth, but the Astros could not generate momentum. Their only other hit came when Ramón Urías doubled in the eighth inning. That play had additional consequences when Ward, attempting a catch at the wall, collided face-first with the metal scoreboard. He was carted off the field holding a towel to his face and later taken to a hospital, where interim manager Ray Montgomery confirmed he would need stitches and further evaluation.
Brown delivered a quality start despite taking the loss, allowing three hits and one run in six innings while striking out five. McCullers gave up three hits and two runs, one earned, over his relief stint. The Astros were shut out for the fifth time this month, reflecting their recent inconsistency at the plate.
The Angels finished with six hits, including Trout’s RBI double that added insurance late. Soriano’s outing continued his recent strong stretch, reaching double-digit wins for the first time in his career.
Oddsmakers had Houston favored at -160 entering the matchup, with the Angels listed at +135 underdogs. The total runs line was set at 8.5, with the under cashing comfortably thanks to the Angels’ pitching performance.
The series concludes Monday night with Los Angeles sending left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 3.68 ERA) to the mound against Houston’s Luis García, who is set to make his first start since May 2023 after a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery.
