José Soriano delivered a dominant outing on the mound. Logan O’Hoppe ended a prolonged power drought with two home runs as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Houston Astros 9-1 Saturday night at Angel Stadium. The win evened the weekend series at one game apiece, setting up a decisive finale on Sunday.
Soriano improved to 5-5 on the season with one of his most commanding performances. The right-hander struck out 10 batters over 6 2/3 innings, allowing just three hits and one run. He issued three walks but consistently kept the Astros off balance, extending a recent stretch of success in which he has surrendered only two earned runs across his last three starts. Over those 20 2/3 innings, Soriano has compiled 28 strikeouts and has not allowed a home run since April 22, a span that now includes 11 consecutive starts.
The Angels took control early and never relinquished momentum. Jo Adell reached on an infield single in the second inning, and Luis Rengifo followed with a two-run homer, his fourth of the season. The inning continued with Nolan Schanuel getting hit by a pitch and Mike Trout singling. Taylor Ward then delivered a double into the gap, allowing Trout to score from first and increasing the lead to 4-0.
In the third inning, O’Hoppe extended the lead to six runs with his first home run since May 22, a two-run shot off Astros rookie starter Brandon Walter. O’Hoppe later added a second two-run homer in the seventh inning, capping the scoring and finishing with four runs batted in. The catcher, who now has 16 home runs on the season, broke out of a prolonged slump in dramatic fashion.
Walter, making his fourth career major league start, took the loss for Houston, falling to 0-1. He was charged with seven earned runs on nine hits over six innings. Despite showing occasional flashes, he was unable to neutralize the Angels’ offense, which capitalized on nearly every opportunity.
The Astros managed their only run in the fourth inning. José Altuve drew a walk and later scored on a two-out single by Christian Walker. However, any hopes of a rally were quickly shut down in the bottom half of the inning when Zach Neto doubled and came around to score on a single by Schanuel, restoring the six-run margin.
The Angels’ win narrowed Houston’s season series advantage to 3-2. Historically, the Astros still hold a commanding edge, leading the all-time series 133-85, including a 65-45 record at Angel Stadium.
The two teams are scheduled to meet again on Sunday to determine the winner of the series. The Astros will send rookie right-hander Ryan Gusto (4-3, 4.31 ERA) to the mound, while the Angels will counter with veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks (5-6, 4.79 ERA). According to current betting odds, the Astros are slight -115 favorites with the Angels listed at -105. The over/under for total runs is set at 8.5.
