Alex Meyer meltdown turns into exhilarating comeback, Angels shock Astros 10-6

Angels 10 Astros 6

The Angels picked up Alex Meyer hoping they could convert him to a dynamic starter, as well as keeping him off the DL, but they knew it’d be somewhat of a project. It’s not something that would happen overnight, no, it’d take as many pro reps as possible, coupled with a brand new training and fitness program. The latter is easy, but the former comes at more of a premium.

Thankfully, the team just happened to be in the perfect position (read: they had tons of big injuries) to give Meyer some starts as the season came to a close and they were out of contention. It’s been interesting to watch, and give the Angels some credit...they are squeezing ever second of game time they can out of this season to evaluate Meyer, and it may be paying off.

Tonight, the xtra tall righty would go up against a not-so-easy foe, the Houston Astros. They’re a team with lots of weapons at the plate, and they’re currently trying to stay in the wild card hunt. In this upped ante road test, Meyer performed fantastic...errr, for about 5.1 innings, at least.

Those first five innings of solid, one-run ball was extremely encouraging for Alex Meyer, as he had his whole arsenal clicking at one point or another. The consistency will come, he’s still learning to flex those powers. The Angels were also backing him up at the dish; in the second, they had three consecutive doubles (Pujols, Cron, Buss) that drove in two runs.

Meyer’s sole run in the first five was from a wild pitch that moved Carlos Correa to third, and then a sac fly that got him home. So 2-1 Angels, then made 3-1 when Andrelton Simmons had an RBI groundout in the top of the sixth.

They would then head into the bottom of that fateful frame, deeper into the game than Meyer had yet to pitch in for his MLB career. Trial by fire, my man.

He wouldn’t make it out of the inning alive, as he gave up a little infield single and two walks, which had the bases juiced and only one out on the books. Meyer’s night was done, it took just a few minutes to drive the stake in the heart, as Deolis Guerra allowed two runs in, charged to Meyer and the book was closed on our fallen hero.

That sixth inning was just bad news altogether, and with some more pitching changes, the Angels would walk away from it down 6-3. Just as the denizens of the orange juice stadium with a train and a stupid hill were letting out their last, bellowing belch of tepid approval, the Angels began to mount an epic comeback.

Things started off quietly, with a Nick Buss RBI groundout in the eighth, that put the Astros’ lead to 6-4, and then the ninth came, Houston thinking they had it in the bag. Cliff Pennington hit a leadoff single off reliever Ken Giles, and then Mr. Miracle himself, Yunel Escobar, came to the plate. One wrong pitch and Escobar belted a blast to the left field bleachers....and gone. TIE GAME, TIE GAME!

WHAT. THE. ****?!?!?!

Still feeling the adrenaline of watching a ninth inning, game-tying homer, C.J. Cron would later single home Mike Trout, who had a great read at second base, and the Angels had overtaken and subdued Houston; they lead 7-6, Alex Meyer was off the hook for that ugly loss, and the Halos’ dugout was going absolutely bonkers with joy.

The Astros would have to bring in yet another reliever, because the Angels would just not quit and had loaded the bases up with one out. They waited all game, and it took awhile to get there, but they were finally in the mood for a Halo Blitz. A little bloop from Rafael Ortega into shallow center, that dipped off of Correa’s glove, would clear the bases and put the Angels up 10-6.

Cold blooded Halo Blitz.

The Angels’ party kept rolling in the dugout, as the inning would eventually come to a close and they set out in the ninth to finish this thing once and for all.

Mike Scioscia tabbed J.C. Ramirez for the bottom of the ninth, and he had no issues with the Astros. Three outs, and the Halo back home was the recipient on one of the most unlikely Halo lightings we’ve had in awhile.