 The Astros' defense and bullpen didn't fare as well, and it led to a 4-2 loss on Friday night.
Pinch-runner Peter Bourjos scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on an error and Erick Aybar added a two-run single in the ninth to help the Angels to the victory.
The Angels had scored 33 runs on 46 hits in their last four games. Norris, who entered the game having allowed just one run in three starts -- all wins -- against Los Angeles this season, continued to be tough on the Angels. He yielded four hits and no earned runs with five strikeouts in seven innings.
But the Astros had two errors to push their major league-leading total to 63.
"Bud did a great job," Houston manager Bo Porter said. "At the same time you're never happy when players make mistakes. We've all played this game and understand that mistakes do happen and errors are a part of the game. For the most part it's the speed of the game and the mental part that we definitely need to clean up."
Hank Conger doubled off Paul Clemens (4-3) to start the eighth. Conger was replaced by Bourjos before Aybar drew a walk. Bourjos took third on a fly out by J.B. Shuck. Shortstop Ronny Cedeno's error on the play, when he bounced the ball trying to pick off Aybar at second, allowed Bourjos to dash home just ahead of the throw.
Aybar's bases-loaded single sent two home and extended the lead to 4-1 in the ninth.
Houston's Jason Castro homered in the fourth before Mike Trout tied it at 1 with an RBI single in the sixth.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia raved about Norris, who became the first pitcher to go at least six innings in his first four starts against the Angels while giving up just one earned run.
"(He's) like a nightmare you can't shake," he said. "He's thrown as well as anybody we've faced this year, probably better than anybody we've faced on a consistent basis. He's got that fastball that's sneaky and he's mixing his breaking ball in.
"I thought we had better at-bats against him tonight but the results were pretty much what we've seen the first several times he's pitched against us."
Los Angeles starter Jerome Williams limited Houston to five hits and a run over 6 1-3 innings. Dane De La Rosa (3-1) and Kevin Jepsen pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings before Ernesto Frieri allowed one run in the ninth for his 20th save.
The win by Los Angeles breaks a four-game losing streak to the Astros, but the Angels still trail Houston 7-4 this season.
Houston had several chances to add to its run total. Perhaps the best opportunity came in the eighth inning. Jose Altuve walked with one out and stole second base. A single by Brett Wallace sent him to third but Jepsen retired Castro and Chris Carter to end the threat.
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 Castro opened Houston's fourth with his homer to the bullpen in right-center to make it 1-0. Williams got back on track after that, retiring the next three batters. Cedeno walked with no outs in the fifth, but Williams still faced the minimum in that inning when Cedeno was thrown out trying to steal second on a strikeout by Barnes.
Aybar started the sixth with a single and advanced to second on an error by Brandon Barnes. A one-out single by Trout sent Aybar home to tie it at 1-all.
Altuve singled in the sixth before Castro took a one-out walk. But Houston came away empty-handed when Altuve was caught trying to steal third before Carter grounded into a force out.
Carlos Pena and J.D. Martinez hit back-to-back singles to start the seventh and chase Williams. Pena was thrown out trying to advance to third on the single by Martinez.
De La Rosa struck out Cedeno before center fielder Trout made an excellent running catch on a sharp fly ball hit by Matt Dominguez to end the inning.
Barnes made a pair of nifty defensive plays in the third inning. The first one came when he sprinted and leaped to grab a fly ball hit by Conger before crashing into the padded wall in center field and falling to the ground for the first out of the third.
He then ended the inning by dashing to make a diving catch on a liner hit by Shuck.
Norris was impressed with the defensive work of Barnes.
"The first one was even better because that's a triple or a double, but to end the inning on another diving play, that doesn't happen very often," he said. "The guy can go get the ball."
NOTES: The series continues on Saturday when Houston's Jordan Lyles opposes Joe Blanton. ... Houston signed ninth-round draft pick C catcher Brian Holberton, 14th-rounder LHP Chris Cotton, 18th-round pick 3B Adam Nelubowich, 19th-round pick C Jake Rodriguez and RHP Juan Santos, who was selected in the 39th round.
[Associated
Press; By KRISTIE RIEKEN]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
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