Astros’ loss to Angels hurts playoff chances

ANAHEIM — Things couldnâ€t have worked out much better for the Astros than they did to begin Friday night, with the Tigers and Guardians both losing, giving Houston the help it needed in its last-gasp push for an American League Wild Card spot. All the Astros had to do was take care of business against the last-place Angels.

What wound up playing out at Anaheim Stadium was fitting for a team that hasnâ€t had much go its way this season. An early three-run lead had Houston sitting in a good spot before Mike Trout clubbed a pair of solo homers to help the Angels storm back and send the Astros to a devastating 4-3 loss that pushed them to the brink of elimination.

There is no more wiggle room: The Astros need to win their last two games and have either the Tigers or Guardians lose out to make the playoffs.

“It was a must-win game for us, definitely,†shortstop Carlos Correa said. “Thatâ€s how we were approaching it and we just didnâ€t get the job done. Itâ€s not over yet. It looks very uphill, but weâ€ve still got to go tomorrow and keep the same mentality and go out there and win. We have to keep an eye out for the other games.â€

The Astros†run of eight consecutive playoff berths could be over before they even get a chance to play tomorrow, with the Red Sox and Tigers scheduled to play at 3:10 p.m. CT — more than five hours before the scheduled first pitch Saturday in Anaheim. The Astros were tied for first place in the AL West with Seattle only a week ago, but have lost six of their past seven games.

“It sucks, but thereâ€s still a chance,†first baseman Christian Walker said. “Thatâ€s all we need. Weâ€re motivated as long as thereâ€s still an opportunity. Yeah, we made it a little bit harder, but it is what it is. You canâ€t spend too much time dwelling on it. Itâ€s time to focus on winning tomorrow.â€

An Astros season that has been defined by injuries was dealt another one Friday when starting center fielder Jake Meyers was scratched with right calf soreness. All-Star shortstop Jeremy Pena missed his fifth game in a row with an oblique strain, and slugger Yordan Alvarez — whom the Astros hoped might return from a sprained ankle suffered Sept. 15 — was ruled out for the series.

Still, the Astros, behind Walkerâ€s 25th homer of the season and daring steal of home plate by rookie Zach Cole on the back end of a double steal, helped the Astros to a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. The Astros had some momentum and hope, if only for a few innings.

“Itâ€s tough,†Astros manager Joe Espada said. “Weâ€ve been in this spot before. I feel like weâ€re in the corner and we punch our way out of the corner and we get thrown back in the corner. We have to continue to punch back and fight back, but tomorrowâ€s another day and we have to continue to grind and fight if we really want this. I know those guys want it. Weâ€ve just got to keep fighting.â€

Trout got the Angels going with a fourth-inning homer off starter Jason Alexander, who went 4 2/3 innings, and they scored once in the fifth and again in the seventh to tie the game on a pinch-hit single by Chris Taylor off reliable lefty Bryan King.

“We scored early and put some good at-bats together and Jason came out throwing the ball really, really well,†Espada said. “We held that lead and we wanted to really get him through the lineup two times. He did. We just couldnâ€t tack on another run, but we competed.â€

King had not allowed any of his 22 inherited runners this season to score, which was the most inherited runners without allowing any to score in MLB this season.

Then, Trout led off the eighth with a homer off King to put the Angels ahead, 4-3, and Kenley Jansen shut the door on the Astros in the ninth.

“Heâ€s been lights-out,†Espada said. “If thereâ€s a guy we want in the game in that spot, itâ€s Bryan King. Heâ€s been our guy all year.â€

And now the Astros need nothing short of a miracle to avoid having the door shut on their season.

“Weâ€ve all been in situations in life like that when you get your hopes up and all of a sudden everything comes crashing down,†Correa said. “Itâ€s not a great feelingâ€

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