Cron’s tiebreaking HR in 8th helps Angels beat Astros 3-2

The Los Angeles right-hander has six wins in 21 starts as the season winds down entering Friday’s opener of a pivotal three-game series against the visiting Houston Astros.Weaver missed seven-plus weeks with a hip injury that derailed his season and is 2-2 in six starts since returning from the disabled list and will be matched up against Houston ace Dallas Keuchel, the American League co-leader with 17 victories. “It’s a brutal loss in the way it happened, obviously, trying to go for the sweep and what it does to the standings”.

The Rangers, who trail Houston by 1½ games in the AL West, open a four-game series against the Astros at home tonight.

Trailing 3-0 with two outs in the ninth inning and no one on base, the Astros had just a 0.3 percent chance of beating the Angles yesterday.

Joe Smith retired the three Astros he faced in the eighth, striking out one in the seven pitch effort before passing the reigns to Street for what looked to be another routine close, until Tucker’s home run. Street would have a meltdown in the ninth, though, giving up a homer to Preston Tucker, and then an RBI single to Jose Altuve. He pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth. The ones that go right over the wall, I get aggravated about.

“It can’t get any tighter”, Featherston said, showing his Wilson A-2000 glove to reporters before Monday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. Correa infield single to second, Altuve to second. Calhoun, admittedly shorter than his listed 5-foot-10 height, went back for it, hopped and reached as far as he could, missing it by the smallest of distances. Calhoun told Gonzalez that he did all he could to get to the ball. “I just ran out of room”. Los Angeles DH Albert Pujols needs one home run to pass Manny Ramirez and take over 14th place all time. Every man in the Astros’ dugout lifted his arms.

Mike Trouts had one home run and C.J. Cron had two, but all three were solo shots and it wound up not being enough. After a brief bottom of the ninth, their most demoralizing loss of the season was secured, by a 5-3 score. The decisive home run, the glove webbing, a couple close plays in right, or the confluence of them all? “Not Featherston’s fault. He made a good play to get the ball”. “A very helpless feeling”.

“I figured, ‘Hey, why don’t we get something started?”

“Keep ’em in the yard, and you beat them”, the scout said. “It’s kind of the circumstances of baseball”. Houston was down to it’s final strike three times in the inning.

That level of proficiency will be tested by Cole Hamels (3-1, 4.07), who hasn’t allowed a homer in five straight starts after permitting five in his first two with Texas.

The Angels were one strike away from sweeping the Houston Astros and improving their playoff hopes, but fate quickly changed over the span of just a few minutes. Cron then homered twice, extending his torrid stretch of power hitting.