Houston Astros Start September Strong, Down Los Angeles Angels on the Road

Lance McCullers Jr. earned the win, but finished just short of his second quality start of the 2022 season.

With rosters expanding Thursday, the Houston Astros finally activated top prospects Hunter Brown and Yainer Diaz for Friday's action in Los Angeles. The Astros escaped with a 4-2 victory over their American League West foe, but more concerns were present in the starting lineup.

Designated hitter Yordan Álvarez was scratched from Friday's lineup card with hand discomfort, missing his fourth-straight game. Making his Major League debut, Yainer Diaz slipped into the lineup and had an important plate appearance in Friday's win.

With two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth inning, Diaz walked on four straight pitches. His swing-heavy approach was apparent in his previous at-bats and from his time in the minor leagues, with 34 bases on balls to his 136 hits this season. The righty finished his night 0-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.

Houston's first two runs crossed in the third inning. Jeremy Peña doubled home Chas McCormick, and José Altuve scored on an Alex Bregman sacrifice fly, the latter of whom earned American League Player of the Month on the same day. The third run scored on a Yuli Gurriel walk with the bases loaded in the fifth frame.

Houston Astros Starting Pitcher Lance McCullers Jr / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Lance McCullers Jr. made his fourth start of the season Friday, working 5 2/3 innings on a season-high 97 pitches. The righty allowed two runs on six hits and four walks to his seven strikeouts.

Phil Maton, Héctor Neris, Bryan Abreu and Rafael Montero closed the door on the Angels. Hunter Brown dwelled in the bullpen but did not appear to warm at any point in Friday's contest. On the defensive front, Trey Mancini was again replaced by Mauricio Dubón late in the game, with Chas McCormick moving to left field. 

The Astros return to action at 8:07 p.m. Saturday with Luis García countering righty Shohei Ohtani.

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