HOUSTON _ The might of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani could not compensate a bullpen meltdown as the Angels crumbled before the Houston Astros, 11-10, Sunday in the final game of the first half.
Trout homered twice and Ohtani launched one of his own. It did not matter. The Angels pitching staff could not keep the lead secure. George Springer hit a walkoff single in the 10th inning to supply the Astros with the victory.
In addition to the defeat, the Angels suffered an injury to catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who was taken to a local hospital with a possible concussion after an ugly collision at the plate in the eighth inning. Lucroy was crushed by Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick. The shoulder of Marisnick connected with the jaw of Lucroy and Marisnick was called out for deviating from the baseline to initiate contact. Lucroy was carted off the field after several minutes.
Angels starter Jose Suarez could not finish the fourth inning. He got punished by the bottom of the Astros order in the second. He gave up a single to first baseman Tyler White before outfielder Tony Kemp arrived with two outs. Kemp smashed a first-pitch fastball for a two-run homer.
The Angels erased the deficit in the top of the third. They were facing Jose Urquidy, a 24-year-old rookie making his second start in the majors. He would record only eight outs Sunday.
The fifth-inning flurry began with a double by Lucroy. After a single by Luis Renfigo, Lucroy scored on a wild pitch. David Fletcher singled into left field, where Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez bobbled the baseball and permitted Renfigo to score.
The shoddy defense played no role in the next strike. Jose Urquidy poured a 91-mph fastball down the middle. Ohtani detonated it for his 14th homer of the year.
The barrage did not end there. Albert Pujols supplied an RBI double, after singles by Kole Calhoun and Andrelton Simmons, to make it a five-run inning. The offense added another tally in the fourth against reliever Chris Devenski, who gave up a double to Fletcher and a sacrifice fly to Trout. Trout whacked a solo shot in the sixth to pad the lead to four.
Angels manager Brad Ausmus entrusted Cam Bedrosian with the advantage. Bedrosian had permitted four earned runs since June 1. That number doubled Sunday.
Houston loaded the bases on a double by Jose Altuve, a walk by Alex Bregman and a single by Michael Brantley. The stage was set for Gurriel. He took Bedrosian deep to tie the score.
A two-run shot by Trout put the Angels back ahead. But a two-run single by Alvarez tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Springer ended the proceedings in the 10th.
