The Houston Astros needed a comeback, a fortunate bounce, and one perfect throw Monday night at Angel Stadium.
Trailing entering the ninth inning, Houston tied the game, survived extra innings, and finally escaped with a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels when Brice Matthews threw out Mike Trout at the plate in the bottom of the 10th.
The Astros entered the ninth trailing 4-3 before Jeremy Peña worked a two-out walk against Kirby Yates and immediately put pressure on the defense by stealing second. Christian Walker followed with a sharp single that scored Peña and tied the game.
Josh Hader made sure the momentum held. The closer struck out all three hitters he faced in the bottom of the ninth and sent the game into extras.
Houston found its winning run in unusual fashion. Jose Altuve began the 10th as the automatic runner and advanced to third before Jake Meyers lifted a shallow pop-up into center. Nick Madrigal made the catch and fired home, but the throw skipped away from Logan O’Hoppe just long enough for Altuve to slide across with the go-ahead run.
The Angels threatened immediately in the bottom half. Jose Siri singled to left with Trout charging around third, but Matthews came up throwing and delivered a strike to the plate. Collin Price applied the tag in time, preserving the lead before Bryan Abreu finished the inning.
The comeback overshadowed a resilient outing from Spencer Arrighetti. The reigning American League Pitcher of the Month labored through a difficult second inning that required 34 pitches and resulted in three Angels runs, but he settled in afterward and completed six innings with seven strikeouts to keep Houston within reach.
The Astros erased that deficit in the sixth. LaMonte Wade Jr. doubled home a run before Cam Smith followed with another RBI double to tie the game at 3-3. Los Angeles regained the lead in the seventh when Zach Neto connected for a solo homer off Enyel De Los Santos, setting the stage for Houston’s late rally.
Houston did not escape without concerns. Wade exited after his double with right hamstring soreness and will be evaluated Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Nick Allen was placed on the 10-day injured list after leaving Sunday’s game with a left hamstring issue.
Price added another positive moment for Houston by collecting the first hit of his major-league career on a fifth-inning double.
The Astros improved to 31-37 and continue their three-game series Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. Kai-Wei Teng takes the mound for Houston against Walbert Ureña.
Heading to Daikin Park soon? Check the Astros promotions schedule before your next game.
