Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
LAA	1	3	0	6	4	0	2	0	2	18	18	1
HOU	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	8	2

Grayson Rodriguez took the ball for the Angels carrying a 6.82 ERA and mixed results in his last turn -- 4 innings, 3 earned runs in a no-decision against the Royals. Peter Lambert had the far better resume, an 8-6 mark and a 3.68 ERA, coming off a strong 5-inning, 2-run outing against Seattle. On paper this was Lambert's game to control.

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FINAL

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ML

Total

Angels(50-77)

LWLWL

18

+1.5-125+174o8.5+120

Astros(64-63)

WLLLW

3

-1.5+122-168u8.5-108

Best BetAstros -174

Postgame

This one blew up completely -- Rodriguez and the Angels bats did exactly what a 6.82 ERA warns against, hanging 18 runs on Lambert and the Astros pen. The ERA gap that made Houston the price we took never showed up; Lambert got roughed up and the middle innings buried this pick fast. Pena's absence looked like a bigger factor in the end than the arms did.

Pregame

The gap between these two starters is too wide to fade — Lambert's been a legitimately good arm this year while Rodriguez has scuffled all season. Houston's the more complete team even with Correa and Matthews still out, and that shows up plainly in tonight's price.

Houston caught a break on paper and a loss on the scoreboard, playing without shortstop Jeremy Pena, held out with a hand issue that had him day-to-day. Losing Pena up the middle thins out an infield that already had two regulars, Carlos Correa and Brice Matthews, on longer-term injured list stints. None of that looked like the story of the night until it was.

Grayson Rodriguez

(4-5)·6.41 ERA

Aug 14 vs Royals

ND

4.0IP

3ER

5K

2BB

89P

08/20 Lineup

Peter Lambert

(8-7)·3.68 ERA

Aug 14 vs Mariners

ND

5.0IP

2ER

6K

2BB

96P

08/20 Lineup

Through 3 innings this still looked like the tight, low-scoring game the pitching matchup promised, with Houston up 2-0 and Lambert cruising. Then the 4th inning happened.

Los Angeles Angels

(9)

• 15-Day-ILSamy Natera Jr. (RP) — Natera said Wednesday that he's managing a tight back and is day-to-day, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.08/20
• 15-Day-ILSam Bachman (RP) — Bachman (forearm) played catch out to 60 feet Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.08/11
• 15-Day-ILShaun Anderson (RP) — The Angels placed Anderson on the 15-day injured list Monday due to right shoulder inflammation.08/10
• 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi (SP) — Kikuchi (shoulder) said Sunday that he expects to join the Angels on their upcoming six-game road trip and believes he'll be ready to return from the 60-day injured list during that time, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.08/16
• 60-Day-ILSebastian Rivero (C) — The Angels transferred Rivero (hand) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.08/15
• 60-Day-ILYoan Moncada (3B) — Moncada (knee) has been rehabbing at his home and hasn't started baseball activities, MLB.com reports.07/22
• 60-Day-ILJack Kochanowicz (SP) — Kochanowicz's Tommy John surgery on his right elbow was deemed "successful," per MLB.com.06/27
• 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson (RP) — The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.05/08
• 60-Day-ILAnthony Rendon (3B) — The Angels placed Rendon (hip) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08

Houston Astros

(5)

• Day-To-DayJeremy Pena (SS) — Pena (hand) isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Angels, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.08/20
• 15-Day-ILMike Burrows (SP) — Burrows (elbow) will make a rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.08/11
• 60-Day-ILBrice Matthews (CF) — General manager Dana Brown said Sunday that the Astros are targeting "mid-August, potentially the third week of August" for Matthews' (knee) return from the 10-day injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.08/19
• 60-Day-ILCarlos Correa (SS) — Correa (ankle) has been cleared to hit off a tee, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.08/11
• 60-Day-ILBrandon Walter (SP) — The Astros announced Friday that Walter (elbow) is in the midst of a throwing progression at the team's complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.06/04

The Angels put up 6 runs in the 4th and followed with 4 more in the 5th, turning a manageable deficit into a laugher in the span of two innings. By the time it settled, Los Angeles had 18 hits against a Houston staff that couldn't find an answer, while the Astros managed just 8 hits and committed 2 errors of their own.

Los Angeles Angels

(50-77)

Aug 20L@ Astros2-3

Aug 19W@ Astros3-1

Aug 16Lvs Royals0-3

Aug 16Wvs Royals1-0

Aug 15Lvs Royals6-7

Houston Astros

(64-63)

Aug 20Wvs Angels3-2

Aug 19Lvs Angels1-3

Aug 16Lvs Mariners2-3

Aug 15Lvs Mariners5-10

Aug 15Wvs Mariners10-7

It's the kind of night that erases a series storyline fast -- these two had split the first 2 meetings before this one. For the Angels, buried in a 50-77 season, it's a rare laugher worth remembering. For Houston, sitting at 64-63, it's one to flush and move past quickly.