−Playing without SS Jeremy Pena (hand, day-to-day)
−Bullpen allowed 12 runs across the 4th and 5th
Grayson Rodriguez took the ball for the Angels carrying a 6.82 ERA and mixed results in his last turn -- 4 innings, 3 earned runs in a no-decision against the Royals. Peter Lambert had the far better resume, an 8-6 mark and a 3.68 ERA, coming off a strong 5-inning, 2-run outing against Seattle. On paper this was Lambert's game to control.
Grayson Rodriguez
(4-6)·6.03 ERA
Aug 14 vs Royals
ND
4.0IP
3ER
5K
2BB
89P
08/20 Lineup
Peter Lambert
(8-7)·3.66 ERA
Aug 14 vs Mariners
ND
5.0IP
2ER
6K
2BB
96P
08/20 Lineup
Houston caught a break on paper and a loss on the scoreboard, playing without shortstop Jeremy Pena, held out with a hand issue that had him day-to-day. Losing Pena up the middle thins out an infield that already had two regulars, Carlos Correa and Brice Matthews, on longer-term injured list stints. None of that looked like the story of the night until it was.
Through 3 innings this still looked like the tight, low-scoring game the pitching matchup promised, with Houston up 2-0 and Lambert cruising. Then the 4th inning happened.
The Angels put up 6 runs in the 4th and followed with 4 more in the 5th, turning a manageable deficit into a laugher in the span of two innings. By the time it settled, Los Angeles had 18 hits against a Houston staff that couldn't find an answer, while the Astros managed just 8 hits and committed 2 errors of their own.
It's the kind of night that erases a series storyline fast -- these two had split the first 2 meetings before this one. For the Angels, buried in a 50-77 season, it's a rare laugher worth remembering. For Houston, sitting at 64-63, it's one to flush and move past quickly.
Angels 18, Astros 3: Final Score & Odds Recap — Angels Erupt For 18 Runs, Rout Astros In Houston
