LA Angels 2 at Houston 7 - Recap

HOUSTON -- Collin McHugh produced his seventh consecutive run-suppressing start and was backed by a pair of home runs from Evan Gattis as the Houston Astros topped the Los Angeles Angels 7-2 on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.

The Astros (53-44) notched their 10th consecutive win over the Angels behind McHugh (7-6) and Gattis, who socked his 14th and 15th homers. It was Gattis' sixth career multihomer game, third with the Astros.

Shortstop Carlos Correa added his 15th homer leading off the fifth as Houston set the table for a third consecutive series sweep of the Angels (43-54) on Sunday. Los Angeles has won once in 11 meetings this season.

McHugh allowed two runs on six hits while posting six strikeouts over six innings. He did not issue a walk. He pitched around runners in three of his first four innings thanks in large part to dazzling defensively plays from third baseman Luis Valbuena, Marisnick in left field and Correa.

McHugh did surrender runs in the fifth and sixth yet allowed three or fewer earned runs for a seventh successive start dating to June 15.

Angels first baseman Ji-Man Choi opened the fifth with a home run to right field, his second on the season. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons had an RBI single in the sixth that scored third baseman Yunel Escobar.

The Astros continued their offensive ways against Angels right-hander Jered Weaver (8-8), who entered his third start against Houston this season having allowed 10 earned runs over 11 1/3 innings while suffering a pair of home losses on May 28 and June 29 at Angel Stadium.

Gattis made Weaver pay for his one-out walk to Preston Tucker with a 350-foot, two-out home run to left field in the second inning that scored Tucker and Correa, who singled to right leading off the frame.

Weaver avoided Gattis an inning later by getting Carlos Gomez to fly out to right with the bases loaded, but Weaver plunked Tucker with a pitch one batter earlier to force in George Springer and extend the deficit to 4-0.

Gattis struck again in the fourth, belting a leadoff homer to push the Astros lead to 5-0. Springer delivered again two batters later with an RBI single that scored Jake Marisnick, who followed Gattis with a bloop double to right.

Weaver was done after four innings having allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks with just one strikeout. Weaver saw his ERA against the Astros this season balloon to 9.39 while falling to 0-3.

NOTES: Angels C Carlos Perez was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake and hit eighth. Perez was batting .204 with four home runs and 23 RBIs over 58 games before being optioned on June 8. In seven games with the Bees, Perez batted .355 with two home runs and nine RBIs. The Angels optioned C Juan Graterol to Salt Lake to make room for Perez. ... Astros C Jason Castro was scratched from the starting lineup after taking a foul tip to the right hand in the ninth inning on Friday night. Castro had lingering soreness on Saturday, with increasing pain while swinging the bat. Evan Gattis, who was hit by a pitch on the hand Wednesday in Oakland, replaced Castro in the starting lineup. ... The Texas Rangers claimed former Astros INF Matt Duffy off waivers. Duffy was designated for assignment on July 16 when the Astros signed Cuban free agent INF Yulieski Gurriel and added him to their 40-man roster.