Blanco throws 6 shutout innings Heyward goes deep as Astros beat Angels 6-4 to finish sweep.
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.”
