Angels rally in 9th to stun Astros, snap 3-game skid

HOUSTON — The bottom of the order came to the rescue for the Angels.

After getting four hits in the first 17 innings of the series against the Houston Astros, the Angels strung together four straight hits to spark a three-run rally in the ninth inning of a 4-1 victory over the Astros on Saturday night.

With one out in a tie game, Luis Rengifo, Logan O’Hoppe, Matthew Lugo and Oswald Peraza – the bottom four hitters in the order – had consecutive hits, producing two runs.

The first three were singles that loaded the bases. Peraza then launched a fly ball to the right field fence, barely eluding the grasp of outfielder Cam Smith, as two runs scored. An out later, Yoán Moncada and Mike Trout drew back-to-back walks, pushing home an insurance run.

The Angels did all the damage against Astros closer Bryan Abreu, one of the game’s best relievers.

For Peraza, it was his biggest offensive moment with the Angels in the month since he was acquired at the trade deadline. Peraza never hit much with the New York Yankees, but the Angels believe they can get more out of him.

“I feel comfortable,” Peraza said. “I’m doing a lot of work with my new hitting coach. I feel more behind the ball.”

Peraza still barely plays. He’s just 3 for 19 since coming to the Angels, while the Angels are working behind the scenes to try to rework his swing.

“We’ve talked about how much work him and J-Wash and the boys have been doing,” Montgomery said. “Working and grinding just trying to find a spot for him. To see him get that is really gratifying.”

After the big inning, the Angels turned the ball over to closer Kenley Jansen, who pitched a scoreless ninth with the help of a leaping catch at the fence from center fielder Jo Adell. That snapped the three-game losing season, as the Angels (63-72) also equaled last year’s victory total.

It was only the Angels’ third victory in their last 11 games, as their offense had fallen into a collective funk.

The Angels scored 23 runs in the previous 10 games, with a .185 average.

This game was looking no better for most of the night. Zach Neto’s 24th homer – a career high – was the Angels’ only hit in the first seven innings.

The Angels only had two at-bats with a runner in scoring position in the first eight innings, after back-to-back walks in the seventh. That was when the Angels called on Lugo to pinch-hit for Niko Kavadas, and he struck out. Travis d’Arnaud then hit for Bryce Teodosio, and he hit a flyout.

The Angels got another chance in the ninth because the pitching staff had kept them in the game.

Starter Kyle Hendricks pitched one of his best games of the season, and his best in at least a month, allowing one run in six innings.

“Fantastic,” Montgomery said. “Vintage Kyle, right? Just sit back. Watch. Stay out of the way. It was kind of my goal tonight. Just let him go.”

Hendricks gave up seven hits, but he did not issue a walk.

“If I execute my pitches, throw it where I want to, I’m getting the soft contact,” Hendricks said. “It’s going to lead to more outs. And when I miss, my room for error is real small. I’m going to get barreled with that. So my focus is just executing pitches, reading swings, reading the hitters, what they’re doing to me, and make the adjustments between innings with my guys.”

The only run he allowed shouldn’t have scored at all. With two outs and runners at the corners in the third inning, Jesus Sanchez hit a slow chopper toward Rengifo, the second baseman. He couldn’t come up with the ball cleanly, and it was scored an infield hit.

After Hendricks got through the sixth, Reid Detmers worked around a walk in the seventh, with the help of a double play.

Right-hander José Fermin, who hasn’t pitched in many high-leverage spots lately, entered in the eighth to face the heart of the Houston order. He retired Yordan Alvarez, José Altuve and Carlos Correa, striking out the latter two.

“The guy’s stuff is as good as anybody we have,” Montgomery said. “When he believes in it like we believe in him, we’re gonna see that from him. And it was nice to see.”