Angels finish road trip from hell with 6-2 loss to Astros

The battered Angels are coming home on a tailwind of lopsided losses.

Sunday’s 6-2 defeat to the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park wasn’t by an NFL score — making it a nice change from the previous four games.

But it still was another L, and not unexpected.

It was a sad reminder how this Angel team, now 75-81, has desperately veered off course after a wonderful start in April.

Since starting the season 13-3, the Angels are 62-78.

The Angels have now lost five straight.

After unpacking their flight cases, the Halos will play out the last six games of their season string, beginning Monday at Angel Stadium against the Texas Rangers.

The final games in Anaheim vs the Oakland Athletics will probably will be the last managed by Mike Scioscia for the Angels after 19 years.

The manager has presided over three straight losing seasons.

Scioscia’s bobblehead will be given out on Fan Appreciation Day.

Who could blame Scioscia for walking away, or the Angels for choosing something else?

This was another grim road trip for the proud manager, who saw his Halos outscored 52-11 from Wednesday to Saturday in Oakland and Houston.

Had the Angels allowed 10 runs of more Sunday, they’d have owned the ugly distinction of being the first team in MLB history to give up double-digit runs in five straight games — since 1929.

They avoided that!

"We were getting to a point where our starters could keep us in games," Scioscia told the OC Register. "Some time this week that just evaporated."

You don't say!

But here's another page to turn this sad book.

Sunday, the Angels got on the board first. It didn't last.

Justin Upton doubled and raced home from second when Astros starter, free agent-to-be Charlie Morton uncorked a wild pitch that former Halo backstop Martin Maldonado couldn’t corral.

Anyone want Morton?

After that it was pretty much all Astros, who answered with a three-run salvo in the bottom of the first. The Astros need just two more wins for 100 before heading to the playoffs.

Rookie catcher Jose Briceno added a solo homer in the sixth but that was the only scoring for the Angels.

Lefty Tyler Skaggs had a rough start, lasting a mere 2.1 innings, allowing four earned. He was followed to the hill by yet another parade of Angel relievers.

Junichi Tazawa, Cam Bedrosian, Jim Johnson, Odrisamer Despaigne, Williams Jerez and Miguel Almonte followed Skaggs to the Hill of Hell.

Yuli Gurriel homered and drove in two for the Astros, who got a 3-for-3, two-RBI game from Evan Gattis.

Along the way, shortstop Andrelton Simmons suffered a knock and had to leave the game early. Simmons is expected to be able to finish the season.

Superstar Mike Trout was rested Sunday and got a bunch of speculative heat on social media for “skipping the game” to watch his beloved Philadelphia Eagles — you can just lay off please.

Trout has only been out of the lineup three times in 2018 unless he was injured or attending to a family tragedy.

The game’s best player has racked up 1,030 innings in center field, and has been on base 231 times in 586 plate appearances.

The man needs a break.

Shohei Ohtani was the only star attraction left for the Angels, but mired in a 5-for-30 slump, the Japanese wunderkind struck out three times in a 0-for-4 day at DH.

It’s nearly over, folks. We all need deserve a break.

twitter: @stumatthews11