Strange Play Costs Los Angeles Angels Win Over Houston Astros
If a baseball game consisted of just 26 outs, the Los Angeles Angels would have earned a much-needed three game series sweep of the Houston Astros on Sunday. Instead, somebody long ago just had to make the game 27 outs, and the Angels wound up losing the last game of the series 5-3.
The Angels led the game 3-0 with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, and then everything just went wonky. Los Angeles closer Huston Street got Jonathan Villar to fly out and struck out Luis Valbuena. Preston Tucker hit a solo home run, George Springer tripled, and Jose Altuve singled. That was when things got weird. Carlos Correa hit a hard grounder to second baseman Taylor Featherston that should have been the final out, but the ball got lodged in the webbing of Featherston’s glove and the game continued on. Featherston told Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com that the ball getting caught in the webbing left him speechless.
“I don’t really have any words to describe it. Y’all saw it. It just got stuck. Bummer.”
The Astros sent Jed Lowrie up as a pinch hitter, and he hit a high fly ball deep to right field that just eluded the glove of Kole Calhoun, and the Astros led the game 5-3. Calhoun told Gonzalez that he did all he could to get to the ball.
“I just ran out of room. If I’m an inch taller, maybe I get to that ball.”
Luke Gregerson took care of the Angels in the bottom of the ninth 1-2-3, and what was a good weekend turned sour for Los Angeles.
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. The Angels had just six hits altogether while the Astros doubled them up with 12.
Los Angeles is now 4 1/2 games behind the Astros for the division lead and three games behind the Texas rangers for the second wild card slot.
The Angels will now start a three game series with the Seattle Mariners on Monday in the Emerald City, while the Astros will have a four game set against the Texas Rangers in Arlington.
Do you think the Los Angeles Angels will wind up making the playoffs, or will they be sitting at home in October? If the Angels fail to make the playoffs, should they fire manager Mike Scioscia?
[Image by Victor Decolongon/Getyy Images]
