|
 Now that they are in first place in the American League West, they
are not just young, they are good.
Their youngest player -- 20-year-old shortstop Carlos Correa --
finished a triple shy of the cycle Tuesday night, leading the Astros
to a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Correa, a former No. 1 overall draft choice, is making a big splash
since his June 8 call-up. He is hitting .308 with four homers and 11
RBIs through 15 games.
On Tuesday, he had a single, a double and a three-run home run by
the fourth inning, but he failed to complete the cycle in his final
three at-bats.
"No," Correa answered when asked if he was upset he didn't hit for
the cycle. "It's not about hitting for the cycle, it's about helping
your team win the game, and we were able to get the win. It was a
great day."
Correa, who drove in four runs, had plenty of help, as the Astros
banged out 16 hits. Third baseman Luis Valbuena hit a solo homer in
the fourth inning and a two-run shot in the fifth, raising his
team-leading total to 19 and increasing the Astros'
major-league-leading total to 107. Valbuena wound up 3-for-5 with
three runs.
"Be aggressive," Valbuena said when asked to explain his newfound
power. His previous season-high was 16 homers in 2014 with the
Chicago Cubs. "That's all. Be aggressive on the swing and look for
the right pitch."
Houston catcher Hank Conger had three hits, and left fielder Colby
Rasmus and right fielder Domingo Santana each had two.
Astros right-hander Collin McHugh (8-3) benefitted from the
onslaught. He gave up two runs on nine hits in eight innings, his
only blemish coming on left fielder Efren Navarro's two-run single
in the fourth inning. Navarro had three of the Angels' 11 hits.
Angels lefty C.J. Wilson (5-6) had his worst start of the season,
giving up a season-high seven runs in a season-low 3 1/3 innings.
"He got ahead of some guys but gave some counts back," Angels
manager Mike Scioscia said. "The mistakes that he made, those guys
hit a long way. I don't know if C.J. ever got into rhythm. He'll
turn the page on this one."
[to top of second column] |
It was evident early that Wilson was in for a tough night. The
Astros hit the ball hard early, scoring in the first inning on a
double by designated hitter Evan Gattis before Correa's three-run
homer in the second inning made it 4-0.
Wilson couldn't make it out of the fourth inning, getting charged
with three more runs, including one on Valbuena's first homer of the
night.
Though the Astros swung the bats well Tuesday, Scioscia said there
is a way to get them out.
"They also have a lot of holes in their swings," he said. "Their
guys are driving the ball. You see some guys, Valbuena is a
dangerous hitter, but he's hitting under .200. There are some spots
that you can get to to contain these guys. We did it (Monday) night;
it didn't happen tonight.
"You make some mistakes and they square it up, they can hit it out
of the park. They lead the planet in home runs, but you dissect
hitters and have game plans, it's a matter of getting it done."
NOTES: With 23 homers in the club's first 72 games, Angels 1B Albert
Pujols is on pace to finish the season with 52 home runs. His career
high is 49 (2006), and the club record is 47 (Troy Glaus in 2000).
... The Astros improved to 29-2 in multiple-homer games this season.
... Angels CF Mike Trout has no stolen bases since May 22, and he
has not attempted a steal since May 29. He has eight steals this
season. ... Astros SS Carlos Correa, at 20 years old, is the
youngest position player in the majors.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
