HOUSTON — The Angels won the first two games of the 2026 season for the first time since 2007, handing the Astros a 6-2 loss Friday night at Daikin Park behind a familiar face and some familiar heartbreak.
Yusei Kikuchi, traded away by Houston at the 2024 deadline, limited the Astros to two runs on eight hits over 4.1 innings. The Angels did the rest, with Josh Lowe’s three-run homer in the second inning providing the decisive blow, and Mike Trout added a solo shot in the fifth to push the lead to 5-1.
Houston got one back in the bottom of the fifth when Yordan Alvarez launched his first home run of the season to right field, but that was as close as the Astros would get. Zach Neto added a solo shot off Ryan Weiss in the ninth to make it 6-2.
Mike Burrows took the loss in his regular-season debut, allowing five runs on nine hits over 5.2 innings while walking two and striking out six. The right-hander had moments of promise but couldn’t escape damage when the Angels strung hits together.
The Astros had opportunities to climb back. They loaded the bases in the eighth with two walks and a Correa single, but Jose Altuve struck out, and Cam Smith and Yainer Diaz couldn’t deliver. Houston finished 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base.
The lone bright spots early were Jeremy Peña, who made his first appearance of the season, singling in the first and scoring on a wild pitch to tie the game 1-1, and Brice Matthews, who doubled in the second to move Peña to third. But the rally stalled.
Houston drops to 0-2 on the young season. Cristian Javier takes the mound Saturday as the Astros look to avoid falling further behind in the four-game series.
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