Astros shake off rust, ride Abreu’s 3-hit night to beat Ohtani

ANAHEIM — About the very last thing the Astros wanted Friday evening was to face Shohei Ohtani of the Angels. It was the primary recreation after the All-Star break, which meant the gamers had spent the earlier 4 days unfold out all around the nation and attempting to clear their minds from baseball.

Getting into the field to face Ohtani isn’t precisely a delicate touchdown spot for the second half, however the Astros have been as much as the problem in opposition to an Angels staff that regarded prefer it hadn’t performed collectively in fairly some time. Mauricio Dubon‘s two-run single within the sixth inning snapped a tie and Houston’s bullpen held the Angels to 1 run in 4 2/3 innings in a 7-5 win Friday evening at Angel Stadium.

“The primary one is all the time a troublesome one,” Dubón stated. “You got here in after [four] off-days and no one’s seen dwell pitching in 5 days and going through top-of-the-line pitchers within the league is type of powerful. Guys confirmed up and battled by means of.”

Listed here are three keys to Friday’s win.

There was most likely a case to be made that Dubón was essentially the most useful participant of the primary half of the season for the Astros, who’ve been with out injured second baseman Jose Altuve for many of the season and misplaced star slugger Yordan Alvarez for the ultimate 28 video games earlier than the break.

Dubón stepped in for Altuve and has performed a stable job, together with a 20-game hitting streak earlier this season. He was 0-for-3 in opposition to Ohtani on Friday earlier than delivering a two-run single within the sixth inning off Jacob Webb that put Houston forward 6-4. He got here round to attain on certainly one of Jose Abreu’s three hits.

“That was big,” Astros supervisor Dusty Baker stated. “With their offense, each run is vital. That’s why he’s there, that’s what he’s getting paid for, and he’s been developing large for us all 12 months.”

The Astros took benefit of a psychological error by the Angels to arrange the three-run inning. With runners on first and second and no outs, Martín Maldonado popped a sacrifice bunt that dropped in entrance of first baseman Mike Moustakas. Jeremy Peña needed to maintain up for a beat at first base and would have been a simple out at second, which seemingly would have began a double play. As a substitute, Moustakas simply took the out at first.

“We took benefit of a few errors,” Dubón stated. “The bunt, that was a giant break proper there.”

Abreu’s three-hit evening

Though he swung the bat higher after June 1, Abreu’s first half definitely wasn’t as much as his expectations or the expectations of the Astros, who signed him to a three-year, $58.5 million contract. So how can a 3-for-3 evening on the plate with a stroll arrange Abreu for achievement within the second half?

“I feel the largest factor is I have to proceed working,” he stated. “I do know what I can do and what I anticipate of myself. It didn’t occur within the first half as a result of it wasn’t meant to be, however I do know I have to proceed working and be capable of do the job for the second half.”

Abreu singled and walked in opposition to Ohtani earlier than his sixth-inning hit that drove in Dubón to place the Astros forward 7-4. He delivered one other single within the ninth, giving him his third three-hit recreation of the season and purpose to hope the second half will likely be higher than the primary.

“I haven’t been getting the outcomes I’ve been wanting, however issues want to alter and I’ve to maintain working,” he stated.

Astros nearer Ryan Pressly ended the primary half on a scorching streak, having thrown 11 consecutive hitless innings in 10 video games since June 18 whereas going 8-for-8 in save probabilities. So when he didn’t precisely really feel like himself from the bullpen within the ninth inning Friday, he thought, “Uh oh.”

It didn’t matter. Pressly struck out all three batters he confronted — Ohtani, Taylor Ward and Mickey Moniak — for his twenty first save of the season.

“The outcomes have been good, however I felt terrible. I’m not even going to sugarcoat it,” he stated. “It’s a kind of stuff you haven’t performed for 4 days and also you attempt to decide up proper the place you left off and it’s exhausting to do. You type of need to go on the market and belief your protection and Maldy behind the dish … and simply make high quality pitches and attempt to do the very best you may. As we speak, it was terrible. I hate coming again after the All-Star break. It’s not like I didn’t do something [to stay sharp]. It’s simply a kind of issues.”