José Soriano delivered an outstanding performance on the mound. Logan O’Hoppe broke out of a home run slump with two long balls as the Los Angeles Angels routed the Houston Astros 9-1 on Saturday night.
Soriano (5-5) struck out 10 over 6 2/3 innings, allowing just three hits, three walks, and one run. The right-hander has now given up only two earned runs across his last three outings, totaling 20 2/3 innings with 28 strikeouts. He has not surrendered a home run in 11 straight starts dating back to April 22.
O’Hoppe snapped a nearly month-long homer drought by going deep twice. His first blast, a two-run shot in the third inning, gave the Angels a 6-0 cushion. He added another two-run homer in the seventh to round out the scoring.
The Angels got on the board in the second when Jo Adell reached on an infield single and Luis Rengifo followed with a two-run homer—his fourth of the season—off Astros rookie starter Brandon Walter (0-1).
A pitch hit Nolan Schanuel in the third, and Mike Trout followed with a single before Taylor Ward drove in both with a double to stretch the lead to 4-0. Zach Neto’s two-out double in the fourth set up an RBI single by Schanuel to make it 7-1.
Walter, making his fourth career start, was tagged for seven runs on nine hits over six innings.
Houston’s only run came in the fourth when Jose Altuve walked and scored on Christian Walker’s two-out single.
Key Moment
Rengifo’s two-run homer in the second inning put the Angels ahead early and set the tone for the night.
Key Stat
The Angels improved to 2-3 against the Astros this season. Despite the loss, Houston still holds a commanding 133-85 edge in the all-time series, including a 65-45 record at Angel Stadium.
Up Next
The series concludes Sunday with Astros rookie RHP Ryan Gusto (4-3, 4.31 ERA) facing off against Angels RHP Kyle Hendricks (5-6, 4.79 ERA).
