Carlos Correa snapped a scoreless tie with an opposite-field single in the seventh inning before Yordan Alvarez provided an insurance tally an inning later as the Houston Astros claimed the opener of a four-game series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels 2-0 on Friday.
Alvarez reached on a fielding error by Angels second baseman Christian Moore with one out in the seventh and scored two batters later when Correa lined a single to right field off reliever Luis Garcia (2-1).
With runners on the corners and one out in the eighth, Alvarez lofted a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Cam Smith.
Enyel De Los Santos (5-3) earned the win in relief for Houston, which stranded 13 baserunners. Kaleb Ort notched his first save by recording the final four outs.
De Los Santos did allow the Angels’ first hits of the game as Yoan Moncada led off seventh with a double to center field and Jo Adell moved him to third with a single to right. But De Los Santos retired the next three batters without allowing any advance of the baserunners.
Making his fourth start of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer, Astros right-hander Cristian Javier produced his most promising appearance to date.
Javier issued a leadoff walk to Zach Neto in the top of the first inning. He responded by retiring nine consecutive batters, including four via strikeout. Javier initiated that stretch with a strikeout of Mike Trout, who broke that string by working a leadoff walk in the fourth. Javier stranded Trout at third base to cap the fourth, working around his own wild pitch, and sidestepped a two-out walk to Niko Kavadas in the fifth by retiring Bryce Teodosio with a called third strike.
Javier set the Angels down in order in the ensuing frame. He did not allow a hit over six innings and issued three walks while recording a season-high six strikeouts. Javier tossed 85 pitches, matching the total from his season debut against the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 11.
The Astros had ample opportunity to provide Javier with a lead before he departed. Houston was 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position before Correa delivered in the seventh.
Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson surrendered a series of hard-hit balls, yet worked five scoreless innings. Correa drilled a deep fly ball to center, but that 401-foot drive nestled in the glove of Teodosio. Jesus Sanchez smashed a 412-foot rocket to straightaway center with one out in the second, but had to settle for a double when his blast failed to clear the wall.
Anderson stranded runners in scoring position in the second and third. He escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fourth when Yainer Diaz grounded into a fielder’s choice double play with Correa being erased at home. Anderson stranded two more baserunners in the fifth.
