HOUSTON -- The Los Angeles Angels protested Thursday night's game against Houston and then beat the Astros anyway.
Mark Trumbo hit a two-run double in the eighth inning before Alberto Callaspo's go-ahead sacrifice fly sent the Angels to a 6-5 victory in a game that lasted more than four hours.
SportsNation: Umpire Performance?
Umpires were involved in another controversy on Thursday night. Are they making the grade?
"It was huge," Trumbo said. "It was a draining game. It was over four
hours. We battled our hearts out and (we) like the way it went,
especially going into a new series. This is what we're going to have to
do. They're not going to be easy and if this is indicative of what we're
going to do, we've got to do it."
The struggling Angels snapped a four-game skid and avoided an
embarrassing sweep against last-place Houston, which has a payroll
that's more than $100 million lower than Los Angeles' ledger.
The game took 4 hours, 7 minutes -- making it the longest nine-inning
contest in the majors this season, according to STATS. It also was the
longest nine-inning game in Minute Maid Park history.
Josh Hamilton and Brendan Harris homered for the Angels, who have won just three of their past 12 road games.
MLB
Sunday, June 2nd
08:05 - 11:05
The Angels felt lucky to escape with a win after leaving 16 on base and going 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
In the second game of an American League West divisional weekend
series the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will square off once again with
the Houston Astros.
It was the Astros who picked up a rare win in
Friday night's series opener as they earned a 6-3 win behind a strong
pitching performance from Dallas Keuchel. Keuchel allowed just two runs
on six hits over seven innings of work and Jason Veras pitched a
scoreless ninth inning to capture his ninth save.
Carlos Pena went
3-for-4 with a double and an RBI and Jason Castro belted his seventh
home run of the season to lead the Astros to a season-high tying
third-straight victory.
Tommy Hanson took the loss for the Angels allowing five runs, four
of which were earned, on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings pitched.
Erick
Aybar went 2-for-4 and hit his first home run of the season but the
Angels had only seven hits as a team as they lost for the third time in
the last five games.
On Saturday it will be Bud Norris that takes to the mound for Houston as he makes his 12th start of the season.
It
is difficult to call a pitcher with a 4-4 record and an ERA of 3.71 an
ace but on the Houston staff that is just what Norris is. In fact Norris
is the only starter on the team with an ERA below 4.50 and one of only
two with an ERA below 5.30. Norris is also second on the team in innings
pitched (63) and strikeouts (38).
Norris has done a good job of
rebounding from his worst start of the season on May 13 when he allowed a
season-high seven runs in a 7-2 loss to Detroit. In the two starts
since Norris has allowed just two runs over 13 innings of work though he
has not factored in either decision.
During a career that has
covered just five years so far, Norris has faced the Angels twice.
Norris has been dominant in those two previous outings as he is 2-0 with
an ERA of 0.60 in those contests including an eight-inning, one-run
effort earlier this season.
Journeyman reliever and spot starter Jerome Williams will be getting the nod for the Angels on Saturday.
Williams
began the season out of the bullpen but was pressed into a starting
role due to injuries to the Los Angeles rotation. After his first eight
appearances all came out of the bullpen, Williams last five have all
been starts.
As a starter this season Williams is 3-1 with an ERA
of 3.19 while overall this season he is 4-1 with an ERA of 2,58, which
at the moment, though it is still quite early, is well below is career
average (4.15).
Williams will be on a bit of extra rest for this
contest with his last outing coming last Sunday when he earned his
third-straight victory while allowing just two runs on seven hits in six
innings against Kansas City.
Against Houston, a team he faced a
bit more frequently earlier in his career when he pitched for the Cubs
and the Giants, Williams is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in four total
appearances, though this will be his first this
