Mike Trout homered twice, including a decisive blast in the eighth inning, as the Los Angeles Angels rallied to defeat the Houston Astros 4-3 on Friday night at Angel Stadium. The win pushed Houston to the verge of playoff elimination, leaving the club’s postseason streak in jeopardy after eight straight appearances.
Oddsmakers favored Houston at -130 on the moneyline, with Los Angeles at +110. The total was listed at 8.5 runs, and the teams combined for seven, keeping the result under.
Trout broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot to right-center field off Astros reliever Bryan King. His second home run of the night, following a fourth-inning drive, sparked the Angels’ comeback from an early three-run deficit. The two-time MVP’s performance marked the 30th multi-homer game of his career and gave him 1,017 career runs batted in, moving him past Tim Salmon for second place on the franchise’s all-time list behind Garret Anderson.
Kenley Jansen closed out the game with a dominant ninth inning. The veteran reliever struck out the side, finishing with a 10-pitch battle against Mauricio Dubón. The save was Jansen’s 29th season and the 476th of his career, leaving him two shy of Lee Smith for third on Major League Baseball’s all-time list.
Brock Burke earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning, improving his record to 7-1. King was charged with the loss, falling to 5-4 after allowing Trout’s go-ahead home run.
Houston’s postseason hopes grew dimmer with the defeat. The Astros remain one game behind Cleveland and Detroit for the American League’s final wild-card position. Still, because either the Guardians or Tigers will advance as AL Central champion, Houston would need to win its final two games and hope the second-place Central team loses twice. Cleveland and Detroit also hold head-to-head tiebreakers over the Astros, further complicating Houston’s path to the playoffs.
The Astros appeared in control early after Christian Walker opened a three-run rally in the fourth with a solo home run. Houston added two more runs in the inning to take a 3-0 lead, but the offense stalled after that point.
Trout’s first home run in the bottom of the fourth put Los Angeles on the board. The Angels pulled closer in the fifth when Christian Moore doubled and scored on Denzer Guzmán’s double, cutting the deficit to one. Los Angeles tied the game in the seventh when Chris Taylor lined an RBI single to center. The inning might have produced more, but Houston center fielder Zach Cole threw out Moore as he attempted to advance from first to third on Guzmán’s single, ending the rally.
The series continues Saturday with Houston’s AJ Blubaugh (3-1, 1.93 ERA) scheduled to face Angels rookie Caden Dana (0-3, 6.39 ERA).