Alex Bregman's one-out single in the top of the 11th inning scored designated runner George Springer from second base, lifting the Houston Astros to a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.
Astros reliever Blake Taylor survived the bottom of the 11th, getting Brian Goodwin on a fly out to center field with the bases loaded to end it and earn his first career major league win.
Michael Brantley had three hits, and Bregman had a home run in addition to his game-winning single.
The game was tied 4-4 after nine innings. In the 10th, the Astros seemed to get an assist from the new rule of putting a runner on second base to start extra innings.
Angels right fielder Taylor Ward made a nice running catch of a drive by Astros shortstop Carlos Correa in deep right-center field leading off the inning. Ward, though, appeared to forget there was a runner on second and was in no hurry to get the ball back to the infield.
Tucker tagged and easily made it to third base, then scored on Garrett Stubbs' sacrifice fly to left.
The Angels tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the 10th on Michael Hermosillo's RBI single, but missed a chance to win it when Matt Thaiss struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning.
The Astros got a stellar performance from reliever Framber Valdez, who entered the game to start the fourth inning and threw six scoreless innings before giving up a run in the 10th, the run unearned because the run that scored was the designated runner.
The Angels led 4-3 and were two outs away from winning the game in the top of the ninth, but a single by Josh Reddick off Ty Buttrey drove home Myles Straw from second base to tie the game.
Albert Pujols gave the Angels a 4-2 lead in the third inning with a grand slam, the 15th of his career. It also was his 658th career home run, two shy of Willie Mays for No. 5 on the all-time list.
Angels starters Shohei Ohtani had nowhere to go but up following his first start of the year, during which he failed to retire a batter while allowing five runs on three hits and three walks against the Oakland A's.
He started out much better Sunday against the Astros, retiring the side in order in the first inning.
But in the second, his struggles returned. Ohtani walked five batters and didn't make it out of the inning. He gave up two runs and struck out three.
--Field Level Media
