ROAD BLOCKED
Osuna’s injury spoils dramatic comeback and leaves depleted bullpen even thinner
Angels claim 5-4 win in 10th as Osuna suffers arm injury
With a comeback victory close at hand Saturday night, the Astros’ beleaguered pitching staff suffered another injury and, one inning later, another loss.
The latest to fall was closer Roberto Osuna, who left with an undetermined arm injury in the bottom of the ninth inning of an eventual 10-inning 5-4 Angels victory in Anaheim.
Manager Dusty Baker said Osuna would return to Houston for an MRI exam to determine the extent of the injury.
The closer’s loss on top of the decision earlier Saturday to place reliever Chris Devenski on the injured list, Baker said, “was a terrible, terrible, terrible blow.”
The blows, and occasional boons, for the Astros occurred in rapid-fire fashion as the game wound down.
Trailing 3-1 entering the top of the ninth in what began as a conventional pitchers’ duel between Zack Greinke and Griffin Canning, the Astros took a 4-3 lead on a solo home run by Josh Reddick and a go-ahead two-run blast by George Springer, who had a threeRBI night and is rounding back into form after an uneven start.
Conventionality and comebacks then gave way to chaos.
Osuna, one of the only veterans standing in an injury-decimated Astros bullpen, came on in the bottom of the ninth and surrendered a one-out base hit by Luis Rengifo that bounced off his glove.
Osuna then threw one pitch to Angels catcher Jason Castro, signaled to the dugout that he was in distress, and left the field. His absence could be another blow to a bullpen that has seen almost half of the Astros’ innings this season pitched by rookies.
Righthander Cy Sneed uncorked a wild pitch that put Rengifo on second, and Castro doubled off the center field wall to tie the game at 4-4. Sneed struck out Taylor Ward and got Matt Thaiss on a fly to center to send the game to extra innings.
Houston loaded the bases in the top of the 10th against relievers Noe Ramirez and Ryan Buchter but did not score. Astros righthander Nivoldo Rodriguez likewise loaded the bases in the 10th, and the Angels won it on a sacrifice fly by Michael Hermasillo.
The Astros, who entered Saturday averaging a leaguebest six runs per game, were on the ropes entering the ninth because Canning gave the Angels the upper hand in a smartly paced confrontation with Greinke before closer Hansel Robles coughed up the lead with the two ninth-inning homers.
After Carlos Correa struck out to begin the ninth, Reddick uncorked a 409-foot blast to right center to pull the Astros within 3-2. Abraham Toro flied out, but catcher Garrett Stubbs singled to bring up Springer, who entered the game with a .120 batting average on the young season.
Pinch runner Myles Straw stole second, and Springer unleashed a 110-mph blast into the Astros bullpen.
But jubilation gave way to the Osuna injury, the Angels’ ninth-inning rally and extra innings.
Greinke retired the first 16 batters but allowed three hits to the final four batters he faced in the sixth. David Fletcher’s sacrifice fly to score Taylor Ward, who broke up the perfect game, and Brian Goodwin’s RBI base hit ended his night.
The Angels added a third run in the eighth off 2019 AllStar Ryan Pressly in his 2020 debut. Ward sliced an opposite-field drive to the right field warning track that ticked off Reddick’s glove for a triple, and he scored on a two-out infield hit by Anthony Rendon.
The Astros’ first run came in the seventh when Reddick led off with a double to the wall in right center against Canning, who gave way to Pena.
Reddick took third on a Toro groundout, and Pena struck out pinch hitter Michael Brantley before Springer dumped a base hit into left to score the run. Jose Altuve struck out to end the inning.
Canning allowed six hits through six innings plus one batter, striking out five with two walks, and held the American League’s most productive offense in check when it counted.
The Astros stranded two baserunners in the first inning when Altuve reached on an error and Alex Bregman walked, and Altuve had a two-out base hit in the third but was picked off by Canning.
Bregman and Yuli Gurriel singled around a Kyle Tucker strikeout in the fourth, but Carlos Correa grounded into a double play to end the threat.
In the fifth inning, catcher Martin Maldonado launched a two-out shot down the third base line that was flagged down by Rendon, but Rendon’s throw to first went into the Astros dugout. Canning walked Springer but got Altuve on a popup to shallow center.
In the sixth, Gurriel delivered a two-out base hit and took second on a wild pitch before Correa was called out on strikes to end the inning.
Lefthander Blake Taylor, a bright spot thus far in the young Astros bullpen, recorded four outs before giving way in the eighth to Pressly.