LaMonte Wade Jr. drove in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk during a four-run ninth inning as the Houston Astros rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday in Anaheim, Calif.
The decisive rally featured just one hit, a single that did not knock in a run.
Taylor Trammell homered, walked twice, was hit by a pitch and scored twice as Houston took the opener of a three-game series, its sixth win in seven games. The Astros trailed 4-0 after three innings.
Astros reliever Cristian Javier (1-1) allowed three hits and no walks over five shutout innings, striking out seven. Josh Hader pitched around two walks in the bottom of the ninth to pick up his 13th save.
Vaughn Grissom went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs for Los Angeles, which lost for the ninth time this season when leading after eight innings. Jose Fermin (3-2) was charged with three runs, one earned, while recording only one out.
Houston trailed 4-2 entering the ninth. Trammell was hit by a pitch to open the inning, advanced to second on a passed ball and went to third on a single by Christian Walker. Lucas Spence then hit a potential double-play grounder that bounced past Grissom at second, allowing Trammell to score.
It looked as if the Angels might get out of the jam when Christian Vazquez popped out on a bunt and pinch runner Nick Allen was thrown out at the plate on Jeremy Pena’s grounder to third. However, after Yordan Alvarez was intentionally walked to load the bases, reliever Sam Bachman hit Isaac Paredes with a pitch to force in the tying run, then walked Wade to make it 5-4.
Bachman subsequently mishandled Jose Altuve’s comebacker, allowing Alvarez to score.
Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Astros starter Tatsuya Imai walked Zach Neto and Mike Trout to begin the frame, and both runners advanced on a balk. Nolan Schanuel drove in Neto with a sacrifice fly as Trout tagged and advanced to third. After Jorge Soler walked, Grissom singled to drive in Trout.
The Angels extended the lead to 4-0 in the third inning on Grissom’s seventh homer, a 395-foot drive to left-center, and Jo Adell’s RBI bloop double down the right field line.
Houston cut the gap to 4-1 in the fourth inning on Trammell’s fifth home run, a 412-foot shot into the bleachers in right-center.
The Astros closed within 4-2 in the eighth inning when Pena led off with a double into the left field corner and scored on a single by Alvarez, his American League-leading 78th RBI.
–Field Level Media
