HOUSTON _ The Los Angeles 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 Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park secured that feat.
Every Angel to bat reached base, and the club generated eight hits in 12 opportunities with runners in scoring position.
Angels starter Jesse Chavez started wonderfully, but quickly faded. In the first inning, he struck out George Springer on a 3-and-2 fastball that caught the bottom of the strike zone, then induced back-to-back flyouts. So it went for the two innings.
Albert Pujols bashed a first-inning solo shot off of Houston rookie right-hander David Paulino, and the Angels challenged for more runs in the third. Danny Espinosa bunted for a hit and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Cameron Maybin shot a single to left and stole second, putting two men into scoring position for Kole Calhoun, who roped a two-run single to center.
After Pujols flied out, Luis Valbuena walked, but C.J. Cron struck out swinging, and Chavez took the mound with a three-run lead in the bottom of the third. He quickly gave up most of it. He issued a one-out walk to Alex Bregman, then yielded a two-run blast to Springer with two outs. Josh Reddick slapped Chavez's next pitch for a single to right, which prompted a visit from pitching coaches Charles Nagy. Chavez then walked Jose Altuve, but escaped the inning when Carlos Beltran lined out.
The Angels nearly scored more in the fourth, when Andrelton Simmons doubled, advanced on a groundout, and tried to go home on a Eric Young Jr. grounder to second. He was tagged out at home in a close play.
Chavez ceded the lead in the bottom half of the inning. With two outs, Yulieski Gurriel launched a tying homer to left. After Bregman again walked. Norichika Aoki lashed a double into center field to score him. When Springer walked, Angels manager Mike Scioscia came for Chavez.
After an extended stall, right-hander Blake Parker entered the game. Reddick ripped a ball to right, off of 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, Valbuena singled, Cron doubled, and Simmons notched a sacrifice fly, which tied the score. Martin Maldonado then drew a walk, and Eric Young Jr. approached. A single could push the Angels ahead.
Down in the count, Young instead timed a Michael Feliz slider perfectly and placed it into the right-field bleachers for a three-run homer.
Then Scioscia started to piece together the 12 remaining outs from a bevy of bullpen arms. Keynan Middleton relieved Parker, Jose Alvarez relieved Middleton, and David Hernandez relieved Alvarez, who benefited from Maybin chasing down two long drives to center field. Yusmeiro Petit and Bud Norris also appeared, handling a scoreless 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 Calhoun single.
Winners of both series on this 4-2 trip through Detroit and Houston, the 33-33 Angels return home to host the New York Yankees on Monday.
