Somehow the Astros dropped the series opener to the worst team in baseball, losing 3-1. They are still leading the AL West, but just barely; Texas is right on their heels, only one game back. They can't seem to get any cushion, even against the worst team in the league.
So what exactly went wrong?
Once again, pitching was an issue.
It's a fair question to ask how a last-place team beat the AL West leader, but the answer isn't that the Angels are secretly good. Going into the series, they had only won 49 games all season, so it's not like they were holding out until this series.
It's that George Klassen, a rookie making just his fifth career start, threw the game of his life. Seven scoreless innings, a career-high seven strikeouts, and allowed just one hit all night, per ESPN. Houston didn't lose because Los Angeles was better. They lost because they ran into one great start and couldn't do anything with it. Klassen's ability to miss bats was something the Astros could not overcome.
Cristian Javier (1-4) started for Houston and allowed five hits and two runs over four innings. The Angels scored all three of their runs with two outs. He has just not been the same since returning from his shoulder strain.
Wade Meckler got things started in the third, singling and stealing second before scoring on a two-out RBI single from Nolan Schanuel. Josh Lowe added to the damage with a solo homer off Javier in the fourth. Then the Angels tacked on another run in the fifth.
Cam Smith hit a solo homer off José Fermín with no outs in the eighth to cut the lead to 3-1, but that was as close as Houston would get. Ben Joyce pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save. And the Astros just never got the ball rolling.
The loss was Houston's third straight. The Astros still lead the season series against the Angels 6-5, but a division leader dropping a game to the worst team in baseball is not a good look for the division leader. If they keep this up, the Rangers are going to pass them up with ease.
Ethan Pecko will make his major league debut Wednesday, going up against Walbert Ureña as the series continues. It's a big moment for the 23-year-old pitcher, one of the top prospects in the organization. Giving the Astros length, control, and command is all they need to get back on track.
