The Los Angeles Angels' perfect start crumbles. An explosive Astros offensive surge erases an early lead, silencing the hype surrounding their 2-0 beginning.
Raise your hand if you predicted the Los Angeles Angels to win the first two games of the 2026 season.
Jose Soriano got things started with six shutout innings on Opening Day in the Angels' 3-0 win over the Houston Astros.
The Angels then pulled off another win with a 6-2 victory on Friday night to begin the season 2-0.
Mike Trout had homers in each of the first two games, and the 2-0 start was the franchise's best since 2007.
Well, reality kicked in on Saturday as the Astros won, 11-9.
Reid Detmers went 4.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits with nine strikeouts in a decent outing.
However, things unraveled with an 8-run sixth inning. Walbert Urent lasted just one inning, giving up four hits with six runs -- all unearned, however.
Urena committed an error that allowed Jake Meyers to get on base, and Meyers scored shortly after due to a wild pitch.
The Astros had five hits with a pair of errors from the Angels in that sixth inning, but the 8-run outburst was too much for the Angels to overcome, although they sure did try.
The Angels had a 6-0 lead entering the bottom of the fifth, but 11 runs from Houston in two innings completely turned the game around.
The Angels sure made it interesting as Nolan Schanuel hit a three-run home run with two outs in the top of the ninth, but Jorge Solar struck out to end the game.
Plenty of Positives For The Angels
Oswald Peraza, who is in his first year with the Angels, had three hits with two runs scored and a home run after having just one hit combined in the first two games.
Trout, who entered the year with a lot of question marks, has five hits in three games with at least one hit in every game.
The Angels' offense has also been a bit of a surprise. In three games, they have scored a total of 18 runs, and let's keep in mind that all of this is happening on the road against a talented Astros team.
The Angels finish the series against the Astros on Sunday before beginning a three-game series at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs.
The first home game is next Friday, April 3, against the Seattle Mariners, but the Angels have sure gotten off to a strong start.