Offense listless as Angels succumb to Astros
Halos bullpen falters as Tyler White comes up with key double in five-run eighth inning.
Tyler White hit a goahead two-run double in a five-run eighth inning, Alex Bregman homered and the Houston Astros beat the Angels 7-3 on Saturday.
With the score tied in the eighth, White hit a pitch to left field off Hansel Robles that missed being a home run by just feet. The ball bounced off the top of the metal scoreboard and back into left field.
George Springer and Carlos Correa came around to score, putting the Astros ahead 5-3.
Since the All-Star break, White has 16 extra-base hits with 26 RBIs.
Kole Calhoun provided the only offense for the Angels with a three-run home run in the second inning. It was Calhoun’s 18th of the season.
Justin Upton Jr., who went 0-for-3, left the game with a mild concussion.
The Astros entered the game leading the American League West by 11⁄2 games over Oakland.
Correa drove in the tying run earlier in the eighth with an RBI single to center off Cam Bedrosian (5-4), who gave up three runs and two hits while striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.
The Astros piled it on as two more runs scored off a misplayed ball by Eric Young Jr. Marwin Gonzalez hit a deep fly ball to left-center, which Young attempted a leaping catch on but missed and crashed into the wall. White and Josh Reddick came into score, capping the five-run eighth and making it 7-3.
The Angels committed four errors on the night.
Joe Smith (5-1) got the win after giving up one hit and striking out one in twothirds of an inning.
The struggles of the Angels’ bullpen wasted one of Felix Pena’s best starts of his career.
Pena gave up just two runs in seven innings, the longest start of his career.
In the sixth, Bregman crushed his 26th home run of the season, making it 3-2. It extended his reached base safely streak to 29 games.
Josh James made his major league pitching debut for the Astros and gave up three runs and five hits.