The Houston Astros (64-64) suffered a crushing 18-3 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels (51-77) on Thursday at Daikin Park, dropping the rubber game of their three-game series.
The lopsided loss marked Houston’s fourth defeat in its last 10 games.
Following the disappointing result, Astros star designated hitter Yordan Alvarez delivered a candid and blunt assessment of the team’s performance.
Houston Astros Star Yordan Alvarez Gives Blunt Reaction After Embarrassing Loss to Angels
Via The Athletic’s Chander Rome: “For us,” Yordan Alvarez said, “it’s a slap in the face to come out here tomorrow and get a victory.”
Alvarez finished 1-for-1 with a double, a run scored and a walk before being taken out of the contest.
The defeat also cut the Astros’ lead over the second-place Texas Rangers to just one game in the division standings.
Angels Cruise Past Astros 18-3
Los Angeles shortstop Zach Neto put together a spectacular performance, going 5-for-6 with a home run, seven RBIs and two walks to power the Angels to a commanding win over Houston.
The Angels battered Astros starter Peter Lambert, scoring nine earned runs on eight hits and two walks in just 3 2/3 innings. Bryan King struggled in relief as well, giving up five runs across 1 1/3 innings, while Tatsuya Imai surrendered two more over three innings.
Houston eventually turned to position player LaMonte Wade on the mound, and he gave up another two runs during his one inning of relief.
Los Angeles struck first with a run in the opening inning, but Houston quickly responded with two runs of its own in the bottom half. The Astros then went silent offensively until adding their third and final run in the ninth.
Meanwhile, the Angels’ offense continued to pour it on. Los Angeles scored three runs in the second inning, erupted for six in the fourth, added four more in the fifth, and tacked on two runs each in the seventh and ninth innings to complete the 18-3 rout.
Adam Frazier, Josh Lowe and Moises Ballesteros each contributed two hits, while Vaughn Grissom turned in a three-hit performance to help fuel Los Angeles’ offensive explosion. The Angels finished with 18 hits overall.
Houston, meanwhile, managed just eight hits, with Issac Paredes and Nick Allen recording two hits apiece.
What’s Next for the Astros
Houston will look to quickly put the embarrassing loss behind them as the Astros begin a new series against the Oakland Athletics. With their AL West lead trimmed to just one game, the Astros face increased pressure to find their form and avoid surrendering further ground in the division.
Houston will try to bounce back immediately as the Astros prepare to open a three-game weekend series against the Athletics at Daikin Park.
The series opener is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CDT on Friday, giving Houston an opportunity to respond after its lopsided loss to the Angels.
