Angels overpower Astros, take series
Team records a winning trip for the first time this season.
HOUSTON — The man in center field for the Angels on Sunday at Minute Maid Park chased down fly balls without a shred of restraint, proved difficult to retire in the batter’s box and ran to his heart’s content upon reaching first base.
Cameron Maybin is not Mike Trout, nowhere near him. But for an afternoon, he resembled a reasonable facsimile.
With Maybin as their guide, the Angels became the first American League West club to beat Houston in a series this season. Their thorough offensive effort in a 12-6 victory secured that feat, and another, more important one: They recorded a winning trip for the first time this season.
The 33-33 Angels are doing OK without Trout so far, to the league’s surprise.
“He’s the best player in the world, but there’s no time to wait for him to come back,” Maybin said. “We’ve gotta do our best to stay in the mix and keep winning games until he gets back.”
The Angels pounded Houston’s starter, rookie right-hander David Paulino, and three Astros relievers. Every Angels batter reached base at least once. The club generated eight hits in 14 opportunities with runners in scoring position.
“We had good at-bats the whole game,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
Albert Pujols bashed a first-inning solo shot, his 601st. In the third, Danny Espinosa bunted for a hit and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Maybin shot a single to left and stole second, putting two men into scoring position for Kole Calhoun, who roped a tworun single to center.
Angels starter Jesse Chavez took a three-run lead to the mound in the third and yielded most of it. He issued a one-out walk to Alex Bregman before George Springer blasted a two-out, two-run homer. Josh Reddick soon slapped a single to right, which prompted a visit from pitching coach Charles Nagy. Chavez then walked Jose Altuve, but escaped when Carlos Beltran lined out to left.
Chavez ceded the lead the next inning. With two outs, Yuli Gurriel launched a tying home run.
After Bregman again walked, Norichika Aoki lashed a double into center field to score him. When Springer walked, Scioscia came for Chavez.
The 33-year-old righthander has been unable to pitch successfully with runners on base all season. He entered Sunday holding hitters to a .719 on-base-plusslugging percentage when the bases are clear, but a .971 mark with anyone on.
“There’s something going on out of the stretch that keeps elongating those innings,” Chavez said. “We’ve gotta nip it in the bud before it gets too late. Right now, I feel like it’s getting too late. We’re in June, and it’s been the nemesis of this year.”
After an extended stall, right-hander Blake Parker entered the game. Reddick ripped a ball to right, off of C.J. Cron’s glove, for a single. Altuve followed with a single and the Astros led 6-3.
The Angels took back control in the fifth. Maybin singled, Calhoun walked, Luis Valbuena singled, Cron doubled, and Andrelton Simmons notched a sacrifice fly, which tied the score.
Martin Maldonado then drew a walk, and Eric Young Jr. slammed a slider for a three-run homer.
Scioscia pieced together the 12 remaining outs from a bullpen he said is “tired.” Keynan Middleton relieved Parker, Jose Alvarez relieved Middleton, and David Hernandez relieved Alvarez, who benefited from two catches from Maybin. Yusmeiro Petit and Bud Norris handled an inning each.
The Angels scored twice more in the seventh, when Valbuena walked, Simmons doubled and Young singled, and once in the eighth, when Maybin walked, stole second and scored on a single.
Winners of both series on a trip through Detroit and Houston, the Angels will play play the surging New York Yankees in six of their next 10 games. They must withstand Trout’s absence for those and many more games.
“Everybody should be confident the next few days knowing that we all can help out,” Maybin said. “We all can play big roles on this team.”