Astros regain lead in AL-West with 6-3 win over Angels

The Astros made strong statements on and off the field Thursday about their status as contenders.

Perhaps fewer still can doubt that they have become exactly that.

It’s a battle for the AL West lead when the Angels and Astros open up a three-game series live tonight from Minute Maid Park in Houston.

“We’ve continued to fight on and prove that we deserve to be here”, Castro said. Castro then launched his two-out shot off Fernando Salas into the seats in right field to give Houston the win. Despite this, he went on to hit a grand slam later in that very same recreation. Manager A.J. Hinch said the surgery will likely be season-ending. For Wednesday’s recreation the Angels begin Garrett Richards who has allowed 98 hits and 42 earned runs whereas hanging out 88 over 116.1 innings for a 10-7… McCullers logged seven innings and needed just 99 pitches to do so, allowing one run on five hits without issuing a walk in a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Los Angeles Angels’ Conor Gillaspie swings for an RBI-triple…

Left-hander David Holmberg (1-0) was called up from Triple-A and allowed two runs and five hits in six innings. Biggio will forever be an Astros hero, but one day there will be a ceremony held on a baseball field in Houston where he will pass the hit leader torch. In the fourth, he singled home Conger and Jake Marisnick with Marisnick scoring from first while Altuve, seeing himself out at second, got into a rundown between first and second. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch. “I felt the love for sure”. “Lately, I didn’t have the best fastball command, but it was much better, ” the 28-year-old Michigan native told reporters after snapping a five-start winless streak (0-3).

Shoemaker retired the last 11 batters he faced after a single by Colby Rasmus with one out in the fourth inning. “And with Dallas Keuchel getting roughed up in the first inning on Sunday, Kazmir now leads the AL with a 2.24 ERA”.

Astros: The Astros announced after the game that INF Jed Lowrie will be activated from the 60-day DL on Thursday. He was helped out by shortstop Carlos Correa who went 3-4 with a homerun and an RBI. Watt took batting practice early Thursday afternoon at Minute Maid Park before visiting with Hinch and most of the team.

The Astros bullpen did a great job in relief as four different guys combined to throw four scoreless innings in relief while letting up only two hits.

The 6-foot-4 Correa enjoyed meeting him and joked about his size and strength.

MIAMI (AP) – Max Scherzer scattered three hits over seven innings, Jonathan Papelbon got his first save for Washington with a ideal ninth inning and the Nationals beat Miami. “Yes, they”™ve lost six of seven games, and the road ahead doesn”™t get any easier; they must face dominant Dodgers pitchers Clayton Kershaw on Friday night and Zack Greinke on Saturday. A day after he was acquired from Toronto, Jose Reyes was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base in his Rockies’ debut.