Blanco pitches 6 shutout innings, Heyward goes deep as Astros beat Angels 6-4 to complete sweep

ANAHEIM, California – Ronel Blanco pitched six scoreless innings, Jason Heyward had a home run among his three hits and the Houston Astros ended a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels with a 6-4 victory Sunday.

Jeremy Peña had two hits and scored two runs as the Astros won their fourth straight game and remained 4 1/2 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the American League West.

Blanco (11-6) allowed two walks and struck out five in his return to the starting rotation after pitching two scoreless innings in relief Sept. 7 against Arizona. Blanco was used out of the bullpen for one game to manage his usage in his first full major league season.

“What helped me a lot was being able to rest before this outing,” Blanco said through an interpreter.

Josh Hader recorded the final two outs for his 31st save in 33 chances.

Despite making just 52 appearances and 34 starts since 2022, Blanco is expected to play a key role until October.

“Looking at the second half, I looked at what I was doing wrong and what I could improve on,” Blanco said. “The fastball was one (of the areas to improve). I thought I was missing too many things with the fastball. I figured I needed 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 straight game and fell for the seventh time in their last eight games. The Angels fell to 60-89, matching their loss totals from the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Angels rookie right-hander Caden Dana (1-2) pitched 3 1/3 innings in his third career start, allowing five runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

“The only ball they could get in the air, out of all the pitches they could throw, was the one Heyward hit,” Angels manager Ron Washington said of Dana’s outing. “You want the ball on the ground and today they found the holes. He was a little flat with his fastball, but he had a good changeup that worked.”

In his fourth game in the starting lineup since making his Astros debut on September 1, Heyward hit a home run, his eighth, in his first at-bat to give Houston a 1-0 lead in the third inning.

“If (Heyward) pitches in a spot he likes, he’s not going to miss,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He hits the ball hard and he plays with intensity. That’s something I’ve always admired about Jason.”

Heyward, who was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 24, reached base a fourth time after getting on catcher’s interference in the eighth inning.

“It’s nice to have a job with a team that’s fighting to win and wants to win a World Series,” Heyward said. “It definitely makes a difference because it’s tough. It’s tough to be the last team standing. So it’s nice to come into another club with that mentality, that mindset and that experience.”

Heyward hit a drive-in single in a four-run fourth inning that also included drive-in singles by Peña and Mauricio Dubon. Peña scored a run in the inning on a passed ball by Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe.

Jake Meyers gave the Astros a 6-0 lead in the eighth inning with an RBI single to right. Ward ended the Astros’ shutout bid with an eighth-inning home run off Kaleb Ort, his 24th.

The Angels scored three times in the ninth inning, with all three runs being driven in by left-hander Caleb Ferguson. Gustavo Campero had a groundout that drove in a run in his major league debut and Charles Leblanc had a two-run single.

Astros pitching coach Joshua Miller was ejected by third base umpire Dan Iassogna for arguing a hit call in the bottom of the ninth.

TRAINERS’ ROOM

Astros: Outfielder Ben Gamel was not in the lineup after suffering a knee contusion in Saturday’s game. … Outfielder Kyle Tucker made his second start in right field since returning Sept. 6 from a fractured right tibia. … 1B Jon Singleton was a last-minute scratch with an illness and was replaced by Victor Caratini.

Angels: Outfielder Mickey Moniak was hit by a pitch to the left hand in the ninth inning and left the game. … An MRI of relief pitcher Ben Joyce’s right shoulder showed only inflammation, but the team will still neutralize the reliever, whose final pitch of the season on Sept. 3 was a 105.5 mph fastball. … Relief pitcher Carson Fulmer (right elbow inflammation) was returned to the disabled list, while outfielder Bryce Teodosio (right middle finger fracture) and relief pitcher Sam Aldegheri (left middle finger blister) were placed on the disabled list.

FOLLOWING

Astros: Right-handed pitcher Spencer Arrighetti (7-12, 4.72 ERA) is scheduled to pitch in the opener of a three-game road series against the San Diego Padres.

Angels: Left-handed pitcher Reid Detmers (4-6, 5.64 ERA) is scheduled to pitch in the opener of a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb