ANAHEIM — Maybe Mike Trout has actually unlocked something with his swing in the final weeks of the season.
Trout hit a pair of home runs, including a tie-breaking blast in the eighth inning, to lead the Angels to a 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night.
Trout has hit three homers in the last two games, and four homers in the last four games, starting with career homer No. 400 on Saturday. On Tuesday, Trout explained what’s gone wrong with his swing for most of the season, and how he believes he’s found a “solution,” and not just a “band-aid.”
The production came just in time to help the Angels (72-88) put a serious dent in the Astros’ chances of going to the playoffs.
“Those guys are still competing over there, and we want to get in the way of that,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said before Friday’s game.
The Astros are now one game behind the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians, with two games to play. The Astros lose all tiebreakers, so they need to finish a game ahead of one of those teams. The Astros have gone to the playoffs eight years in a row, including two World Series titles, so it would certainly be meaningful to the Angels to help put them away.
Chris Taylor, who was on the Dodgers when the Astros beat them for a controversial title in 2017, tied Friday’s game with a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh.
Taylor’s hit took Kyle Hendricks off the hook for a loss in his final start of the season. Hendricks gave up three runs (two earned) in five innings.
Hendricks struck out eight and did not walk any.
Hendricks made 31 starts for the Angels, posting a 4.76 ERA. He pitched 164⅔ innings. He got through five innings in 24 of his starts, and he allowed three runs or fewer in 20 starts.
When the Angels signed Hendricks to a $2.5 million deal last fall, one of the qualities they mentioned was the influence he would have on other pitchers.
Montgomery said he delivered on that promise.
“Guys that are just getting started, that have the ability to be around guys like that, that stuff will stay with these guys for the rest of their careers, the (Caden) Danas and kids like that,” Montgomery said. “I mean, Dana is 21 years old. I don’t know if you can measure it properly. You really can’t. The compliment comes from the teammates. When people say you’re the total pro, or you’re that guy, he’s that guy.”
More to come on this story.
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