'Simón' says: Halos rally for win over Astros
ANAHEIM -- Andrelton Simmons blasted a three-run, go-ahead home run in the eighth inning as the Angels erased a five-run deficit and rallied for a 7-6 win over the Astros on Saturday night at Angel Stadium, snapping their three-game losing streak.Down 6-1, the Angels clawed back into the game by
ANAHEIM --
Down 6-1, the Angels clawed back into the game by scoring two runs in the seventh and then added four more in the eighth to take the lead.
"We've done it a lot of times this year," Simmons said of the Angels' AL-leading 38th comeback win of the season. "It's good that we have that ability to never be out of the game. We grinded it. Tonight was a tough day. We had some tough calls. Guys were really grinding and chipped away, and eventually we got the runs we needed in the game."
• AL Wild Card standings
The Astros scored four runs over the first two innings off Angels left-hander
The Angels, meanwhile, were stymied through the first six innings by Houston right-hander Brad Peacock, who surrendered only a solo shot to Calhoun in the second. Peacock departed after throwing 96 pitches, and the Astros bullpen faltered in his stead, with
"Just a bad finish to an otherwise pretty good game," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "[The bullpen] has done a really done a good job of putting up zeroes. Each of these guys has thrown very well. Credit them for putting up some pretty tough at-bats against a pretty hot bullpen."
• Astros bullpen struggles late
Calhoun ("Koleman") went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Angels, while
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Angels cut the deficit: After Calhoun singled to lead off the seventh, Simmons hit a grounder to third that deflected off the glove of
Simmons caps four-run eighth: Martes opened the eighth by retiring
"I knew it was an out or a homer," Simmons said. "By the time I got off the floor, Reddick was already at the wall. I just knew I did my best right there." More >>
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"I didn't think the ball was gone. I thought it might've been off the wall. We were playing pretty deep there and as [Reddick] got to the wall quickly and I just didn't know how close it would be, and if he could make a dramatic, great play. He made a pretty great effort, obviously," -- Hinch, on Simmons' go-ahead homer
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With a 1-for-2 night, including a walk, off Skaggs, Reddick upped his average against lefties this season to .321 in 81 at-bats. He entered this year hitting just .218 against lefties through the first eight seasons of his career.
WHAT'S NEXT
Astros:Charlie Morton will finish out the three-game set at 2:37 p.m. CT on Sunday at Angel Stadium. Morton threw five scoreless innings against the Angels back on April 17 to pick up his first of 10 wins on the year. .
Angels: Right-hander Ricky Nolasco (6-12, 5.05 ERA) takes the mound for the Angels in Sunday's series finale against the Astros at 12:37 p.m. PT at Angel Stadium. Nolasco is 7-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 11 career games against Houston.
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Maria Guardado covers the Angels for MLB.com.
Ryan Posner is a contributor to MLB.com based in Los Angeles. He covered the Astros on Saturday.