ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ronel Blanco threw six scoreless innings, Jason Heyward had a home run among his three hits and the Houston Astros finished off a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels with a 6-4 victory on Sunday.
Jeremy Peña had two hits and two runs scored as the Astros won their fourth consecutive game and remained 4 1/2 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the American League West.
Blanco (11-6) allowed two walks and had five strikeouts in his return to the starting rotation after pitching two innings of scoreless relief Sept. 7 against Arizona. Blanco was used out of the bullpen for a game to manage his usage in his first full season in the majors.
“The thing that helped me a ton was being able to have that rest before this outing,” Blanco said through an interpreter.
Josh Hader recorded the final two outs for his 31st save in 33 opportunities.
Despite just 52 appearances and 34 starts since 2022, Blanco is expected to play a key role into October.
“Looking at the second half, I was looking at the things I was doing wrong and the things I could make better,” Blanco said. “The fastball was one (area of improvement). I thought I was missing up way too much with the fastball. I told myself to attack the strike zone more.”
Taylor Ward hit a home run and rookie Eric Wagaman had two hits for the Angels, who lost their fifth consecutive game and fell for the seventh time in their last eight. The Angels dropped to 60-89, matching their loss total from the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Angels rookie right-hander Caden Dana (1-2) went 3 1/3 innings in his third career start, giving up five runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
“The only ball they got in the air, of all the hits they got, was the one Heyward hit,” Angels manager Ron Washington said of Dana's outing. “You want the ball down on the ground and today they found the holes. He was a little flat with his fastball but he had a good changeup working.”
In his fourth game in the starting lineup since debuting with the Astros on Sept. 1, Heyward hit a home run, his eighth, in his first at bat to give Houston a 1-0 lead in the third.
“If (Heyward) gets a pitch in an area he likes it, he's not going to miss,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He hits the ball hard and he plays hard too. That's something that I have always admired from Jason.”
Heyward, who was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 24, reached base a fourth time after getting aboard on catcher’s interference in the eighth inning.
“It's nice to have a job with a team competing to win and wanting to win a World Series," Heyward said. “That really does make a difference because that is hard. It's hard to be the last team standing. So it's just nice to step into another clubhouse with that mentality, that mindset and experience.”
Heyward had an RBI single in a four-run fourth that also included RBI singles from Peña and Mauricio Dubon. Peña scored a run in the inning on a passed ball by Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe.
Jake Meyers gave the Astros a 6-0 lead in the eighth on an RBI single to right. Ward ended the Astros’ shutout bid with his home run in the eighth off Kaleb Ort, his 24th.
The Angels scored three times in the ninth with all three runs charged to left-hander Caleb Ferguson. Gustavo Campero had a run-scoring ground out in his major league debut and Charles Leblanc had a two-run single.
Astros pitching coach Joshua Miller was ejected by third base umpire Dan Iassogna for arguing a hit-by-pitch call in the bottom of the ninth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: OF Ben Gamel was not in the lineup after sustaining a knee contusion in Saturday’s game. ... OF Kyle Tucker made his second start in right field since returning Sept. 6 from a right shin fracture. ... 1B Jon Singleton was a late scratch with an illness and was replaced by Victor Caratini.
Angels: OF Mickey Moniak was hit by a pitch on his left hand in the ninth and left the game. ... An MRI on the right shoulder of RHP Ben Joyce revealed only inflammation but the team still will shut down the reliever, whose last pitch of the season on Sept. 3 was a 105.5-mph fastball. ... RHP Carson Fulmer (right elbow inflammation) was reinstated from the injured list, while both OF Bryce Teodosio (right middle finger fracture) and LHP Sam Aldegheri (left middle finger blister) were placed on the IL.
UP NEXT
Astros: RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-12, 4.72 ERA) is scheduled to pitch in the opener of a three-game road series against the San Diego Padres.
Angels: LHP Reid Detmers (4-6, 5.64 ERA) is scheduled to pitch in the opener of a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox.
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