Astros 6, Angels 3
HOUSTON -- Left-hander Dallas Keuchel pitched splendidly into the eighth inning and was buoyed by a balanced attack as the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-3 on Monday night at Minute Maid Park.
Keuchel (18-8) allowed one run on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings. With 203 strikeouts on the season, he matched Mike Cuellar for the club record for strikeouts by a left-hander.
Keuchel improved to 14-0 with a 1.47 ERA at home this season.
The Astros (80-71) extended their lead for the second wild card in the American League to 3 1/2 games over the Angels (76-74), who dropped to 1-6 at Minute Maid Park this season. The top of the order keyed the offense for Houston, with second baseman Jose Altuve, right fielder George Springer and shortstop Carlos Correa going a combined 8-for-12 with three runs scored and four RBIs.
Altuve (3-for-4) finished a home run shy of the cycle while Correa added three RBIs. Altuve, Springer and Correa scored a run apiece.
Houston picked up a half-game on the Twins in the wild-card standings and the Rangers in the chase for the AL West pennant. Texas' lead was sliced to one game. The Angels rallied with two outs in the ninth inning against Astros right-hander Josh Fields and lefty Oliver Perez, getting the tying run to the plate in the form of shortstop Erick Aybar. But Astros closer Luke Gregerson induced a groundout for his 28th save.
Angels right-hander Jered Weaver had dominated the Astros throughout his career, particularly this season, posting a 1.71 ERA while winning two of three starts. But from the first inning, Houston appeared better prepared to match his guile, rocketing a pair of balls to left fielder Shane Victorino, whose defense might have preserved the early shutout.
By the third inning, the Astros matched their season output of four earned runs against Weaver, with Correa belting a two-run home run the opposite way into the Astros bullpen in right-center field, doubling the Houston lead to 4-0. Altuve pushed Weaver to the brink of escaping the inning unscathed when he was picked off second base, but Springer followed with a bloop single to left field before Correa added his 19th homer this season.
Astros designated hitter Evan Gattis delivered Houston a 2-0 lead an inning earlier with his line drive, two-run shot off the left-field foul pole. Gattis scored left fielder Colby Rasmus with his club-leading 26th homer.
When Weaver departed with two outs in the sixth inning, the deficit remained at four runs. He allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks with five strikeouts, with Springer bumping the lead to 5-0 with his RBI single in the fifth. Weaver needed an excellent throw from right fielder Kole Calhoun to nail Altuve at the plate for the final out of that frame after Astros third baseman Jed Lowrie singled with Altuve on second.
NOTES: The Astros recalled RHP Dan Straily from Triple-A Fresno to provide additional depth among their corps of long relievers. Straily, 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA over his previous two stints with the Astros this season, finished 10-9 with a 4.77 ERA in 22 starts with the Grizzlies. ... Angels RHP Joe Smith (5-5, 3.71 ERA with three saves) underwent an MRI on his left ankle on Monday, but the timetable for his return remains unknown. Smith, who leads Angels relievers with 63 innings pitched, suffered a left ankle sprain in a freak accident at the team hotel in Minneapolis last Saturday. ... The Astros' Triple-A affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies, claimed the Pacific Coast League Championship Series with a 7-3 victory over Round Rock on Sunday. This marks the first championship in franchise history for Fresno, which joined the Astros' farm system this season.