Street Blows 3-0 Lead In 9th, Angels Fall To Astros
ANAHEIM (AP) — Pinch-hitter Jed Lowrie hit a three-run homer to complete an astounding five-run rally off Huston Street with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Houston Astros stunned the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 Sunday.
Preston Tucker started the rally with a two-strike solo homer for the Astros, who got five consecutive hits off Street (3-3), the AL saves leader.
George Springer tripled and scored on Jose Altuve's single before Carlos Correa got an infield single when his hard-hit grounder got stuck in the webbing of second baseman Taylor Featherston's glove.
Lowrie then hit a high fly ball into the short right-field corner, and Kole Calhoun appeared to be inches away from making the catch. The right fielder reached into the crowd and came up empty, sending the Houston dugout into a wild celebration.
Street blew his fifth save of the season.
With their improbable ninth-inning heroics against a dominant closer, the Astros (77-66) won for just the second time in the first six games of their 10-game road trip, which concludes at Texas.
Chad Qualls (2-4) got two outs in the eighth for Houston, and Luke Gregerson pitched the ninth for his 27th save while the Angel Stadium crowd watched in numb silence.
The Angels were one strike away from wrapping up a nine-game homestand with their fourth straight win and their eighth in 11 games in September.
C.J. Cron hit two homers and Mike Trout also connected for the third-place Angels, who got agonizingly close to a three-game sweep that would have pulled them within 2 1/2 games of the Astros. Instead, Los Angeles remained well behind Houston and the second-place Rangers.
Mike Fiers had eight strikeouts in seven innings of six-hit ball for the Astros.
Andrew Heaney allowed a baserunner in each of his five innings, but the Angels' rookie left-hander stranded nine runners and kept the Astros off the scoreboard despite six hits and two walks.
Cron hit a tiebreaking homer in the Angels' 3-2 victory on Saturday night, and the slugger connected in the second inning Sunday for his 13th homer. He completed the third multihomer game of his career in the seventh with a long shot to center.
Cron would have come up again for the Angels in the ninth, but manager Mike Scioscia had already pulled him for defensive replacement Efren Navarro, who struck out.
Trout connected on the first pitch he saw from Fiers in the first inning, driving his 35th homer — just his second since Aug. 7 — over both bullpens beyond the left-field fence.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: CF Carlos Gomez was scratched shortly before game time with a sore left side.
Angels: Nick Tropeano will start Tuesday in Seattle because Matt Shoemaker isn't quite ready to return from right forearm tightness.
UP NEXT
Astros: Scott Kazmir (7-10, 2.63 ERA) is up for the opener of that four-game series at Texas.
Angels: Garrett Richards (13-10, 3.71 ERA) takes the mound Monday when they open a 10-game road trip in Seattle.
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