Jered Weaver (15-7, 3.57) vs Collin McHugh (7-9, 2.99)
cHRis Carter is some kind of monster, too. Tonight, so was Collin McHugh. Not content with just one home run, Carter went deep twice - again - to pull within one of Nelson Cruz and Giancarlo Stanton for the Major League lead. Meanwhile, Collin McHugh allowed only four singles, walked no one, and led Houston pitching in retiring 20 of the last 21 Angels hitters after they scored their lone run. Astros beat the Angels 4-1, completing a sweep of the two-game miniseries, winning their fourth in a row, and improving to 61-79 on the year.
On the Mound:
*Jered Weaver pitched well tonight - certainly far better than C.J. Wilson did the night before. But Collin McHugh was just better, and at his very best tonight. 96 pitches, 68 for strikes, and he could have perhaps gone even longer except Tom Lawless lifted him for a fresh arm to face Mike Trout in the 8th. Doctor McHugh's fantastic night: 7.2 IP / 4 H / 1 R / 1 ER / 0 BB / 8 K.
*Jose Veras was the fresh arm called upon to face Trout with a 2-1 lead at the time. An 8-pitch duel ended in Trout popping up to short for the third out of the 8th.
*Chris Carter gave Chad Qualls two insurance runs before the 9th, but Chad would not need it tonight, retiring Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, and Howie Kendrick in order, each on two pitches and each on a groundout. The inning was good for his 17th save of the year.
At the Plate:
*CHRIS. FLIPPIN'. CARTER. Solo HR in the 2nd for his 34th of the year, putting Houston up 1-0. 2-run HR in the 8th for his 35th of the year, pushing Houston's lead to 4-1. Only Cruz and Stanton now have more home runs in the Majors this season, each with 36, and cHRis just keeps on rolling. He also singled tonight to finish 3x4.
*Jose Altuve doubled and scored on Carter's second home run, finishing 1x4 while extending his hitting streak to 11 games.
*Jason Castro's 2-out single in the 4th drove in the go-ahead (and ultimately deciding) run, and he finished 1x4 with a K.
*Jonathan Singleton was 1x3 with 2 K.
*Matt Dominguez was 1x2 with a K and a sac bunt.
*And Dexter Fowler was 0x2 with a K, but also walked twice, stole a base, and scored on Castro's single.
Turning Point:
After Carter's first home run in the 2nd, Los Angeles tied the score in the 3rd on two singles and a Jonathan Villar fielding error. Fowler walked with one out in the 4th, then Carter lined to center for his only out of the night. But Dexter stole second with Castro at the plate, then on a 1-2 changeup, Jason drove Fowler home. The Angels only managed a single baserunner after that, on a single in the 6th, so they never stood a chance.
Man of the Match:
Gotta be Chris Carter, and Collin McHugh too.
Goat of the Game:
Jonathan Villar, I guess. His first MLB game since June 29, and he went 0x2 with a K and that error.
