Pitching struggles again as Angels lose by seven

The story we’ve seen countless times all season added another page on Monday night, as the Angels’ pitching staff struggled again. They allowed 11 runs on 11 hits, as they fell to the Astros, 11-4. With the loss, the Angels move to 9-21 and have the worst record in the American League.

Houston struck first in the second inning, as Kyle Tucker led the inning off with a solo homer. Josh Reddick then brought in Yuli Gurriel with a single to give them the 2-0 lead.

The Angels cut the lead in half in the third, thanks to aggressive base-running by Andrelton Simmons. After a walk, Simmons advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt and a stolen base. He came in to score on a single from David Fletcher. After an error, the Angels had runners on first and second with only one out. They couldn’t capitalize as they stranded both runners on base.

The Astros made them pay for not getting those runs in, as they added three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 5-1 lead. Justin Upton hit a solo homer in the fourth inning, his third of the season.

It looked as if the fifth inning would help get the Angels back into the game. They used a two-out rally to get to within one run. Mike Trout walked, and then Anthony Rendon brought in a run with a single. Rendon now owns a 14-game hitting streak. Albert Pujols followed with a single of his own, bringing in a run to cut their deficit to only one run. It was a pretty big RBI from Pujols.

Hank Aaron has the most with 2,297.

Things got out of hand in the sixth inning, as Houston scored four runs to take a 9-4 lead. Mike Mayers entered the game for the Angels with the bases loaded and one out. On a full count, he struck out Jose Altuve, needing only one out to escape the jam. He quickly jumped out to an 0-2 count on Carlos Correa, but ended up allowing a bases-clearing double. Tucker then followed with a double of his own, making the score 9-4.

On the night, the Angels’ bullpen allowed six runs in 5 ²⁄₃ innings of work. Myles Straw doubled in the seventh, bringing in two more runs to really put the game out of reach as Houston grabbed a seven-run lead.

In addition to the bullpen struggling on the night, the starter Patrick Sandoval did as well. In 2 ²⁄₃ innings of work he allowed five runs on seven hits. It’s been a rough season for Sandoval, as he’s now 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA on the season.

Framber Valdez had a dominant outing for Houston. He gave them seven strong innings, striking out 11 and walking only two. He’s quietly been one of the better starters in the American League in 2020.

Monday particulars

WP: Framber Valdez (3-2) 7 IP, 4 ER, 11 SO

LP: Patrick Sandoval (0-4) 2 ²⁄₃ IP, 5 ER, 7 H

Home runs: Justin Upton (3), Kyle Tucker (5)

Box score

Up next

The Angels and Astros will play a double-header on Tuesday. Game one is at 1:05 p.m. PT on Fox Sports West and Game two will be TBD.