Bregman drives in a pair on way to Houston's 4-1 victory over Halos
The Angels lost their third game in four chances against the Houston Astros on Sunday, falling to 1-3 to start the young 2022 season.
A solo homer off the bat of former Astro Jack Mayfield proved to be the lone run on the day for the Halos, who found themselves victim to both a slow offensive day and some sloppy play.
Jose Suarez manned the mound to start Sunday for the Angels, managing 4.2 innings of two hit, two run ball with two strikeouts and four walks.
His two runs allowed came in the top of the fourth inning on a rare Mike Trout error, when the ball hopped off the base of his mitt after Alex Bregman singled up the middle. The two runs driven in were the 5th and 6th for Bregman to start the year.
The Angels were denied two potential runs in the third inning, first when Shohei Ohtani - with Tyler Wade on first - absolutely demolished a pitch for a personal-record 119.1 mile per hour double that bounced over the wall.
The very next batter in Trout sent a fly ball to right field with the runners in scoring position. Wade, who has now on third and equipped with good speed, was barely nabbed at the plate on a beautiful throw from the Astros Kyle Tucker, ending the inning.
The Astros tacked on a couple more runs in the eighth inning, when Jeremy Pena scored on an Archie Bradley wild pitch, after allowing a pair of hits to begin the frame. Chas McCormick would then drive in another on an RBI single, giving the Astros the 4-1 lead.
Pena finished the day with three hits, the second three-hit game of his career, after committing the same feat Friday evening with his parents in the stands.
Ryan Pressly earned his second save on the season for the Astros.
The Angels will play host once again come Monday, in the first of a two game series against the Miami Marlins, with Anaheim-native Michael Lorenzen expected to toe the mound and make his Angels debut against the Marlins Elieser Hernandez. The Marlins are 1-2 to start the season.
The Astros are off Monday before opening a two-game interleague series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
