Houston, TX – Josh Hamilton's RBI double in the top of the eighth inning snapped a tie game and lifted the resurgent Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to their sixth consecutive victory, a 3-1 decision over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Howie Kendrick went 3-for-4 with a triple and scored the deciding run on Hamilton's hit off Jose Cisnero (2-1), while C.J. Wilson turned in seven outstanding innings to help the Angels sweep the three-game series between the AL West foes.
"Any time you win games in a row and series, that's building confidence," said Kendrick. "We've got that right now."
Wilson (8-5) won his fourth straight start by yielding one unearned run and just three hits while racking up 10 strikeouts. Kevin Jepsen and Ernesto Frieri held Houston scoreless the rest of the way, with Frieri giving up one hit in the ninth before notching his 21st save of the year.
Lucas Harrell pitched well for Houston in a no-decision, with Mark Trumbo's solo homer in the fourth the only run permitted in the right-hander's seven- inning stint. Harrell registered seven strikeouts while giving up six hits.
"I thought today his stuff was probably as good as it's been all year," Astros manager Bo Porter said of Harrell.
The Astros managed just five hits, with Jake Elmore and Brandon Barnes collecting two apiece.
Hamilton stepped to the plate with one out and Kendrick on first and drove Cisnero's 2-2 pitch to the base of the wall in left center. Kendrick raced around third to score the eventual deciding run ahead of Elmore's relay throw home, which sailed past catcher Carlos Corporan and rolled into foul territory near first base to enable Hamilton to come home as well on the play.
Hamilton went 9-for-21 overall on the road trip, raising his season average from .207 to .223.
"The driving the ball to left-center on the double, hitting a ball hard to shortstop, that's great for Josh," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "No doubt there's a comfort level starting to form. Josh is important for our lineup's function and it's good to see him swing the bat better."
Jepsen stranded a pair of runners by fanning Corporan to end the eighth, and the Astros couldn't turn J.D. Martinez's leadoff single in the ninth into anything in falling for the fifth time in six games.
Both starting pitchers were on their games all throughout, with the contest's lone run through the first 5 1/2 innings coming on Trumbo's opposite-field homer off Harrell with one out in the top of the fourth.
Wilson was especially sharp, yielding just one hit -- a third-inning single to Barnes -- and a pair of walks until Barnes reached on a base hit to open the bottom of the sixth. The Houston outfielder was on third with none out following a stolen base and Elmore's bunt single, then crossed the plate with the tying run after Angels third baseman Alberto Callaspo threw wildly to first attempting to double off Elmore after snagging Jose Altuve's line drive.
Game Notes
The Angels completed their first undefeated road trip of at least six games since Sept. 3-8, 2002 ... Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Mike Trout, dealing with a minor hamstring injury, was out of the Angels' starting lineup for the first time this season, while fellow outfielder Peter Bourjos also missed the game after being hit in the right wrist by a pitch in Saturday's win ... Astros first baseman/DH Carlos Pena was away from the team due to a death in the family and will miss Monday's game against Tampa Bay as well ... Houston placed outfielder Justin Maxwell on the 7-day concussion DL prior to the contest while recalling outfielder Jimmy Paredes from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
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