Christian Walker hit two home runs and the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Angels 6-1 on Saturday night, just hours after being eliminated from postseason contention.
Zach Cole and Jesús Sánchez also went deep for Houston, which will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Guardians clinched the final AL playoff spot earlier in the day with a 3-2 walk-off win over Texas, officially ending Houston’s eight straight postseason appearances that included seven consecutive ALCS trips and World Series titles in 2017 and 2022.
With the outcome meaningless for the standings, Astros manager Joe Espada removed Jose Altuve, Isaac Paredes, and Carlos Correa after just two innings.
Cole followed Yainer Díaz’s single with a two-run homer off Angels rookie Caden Dana (0-4) in the second inning. Walker went deep leading off the fourth, and Sánchez’s two-run blast later in the frame made it 5-0. Walker added his 27th homer of the season in the ninth.
Astros starter AJ Blubaugh pitched four scoreless innings, allowing only one hit. J.P. France (1-0) earned the win with three innings of relief, giving up one run on two hits with five strikeouts.
Dana, still seeking his first MLB win, allowed five runs and five hits across seven innings.
Key Moment:
France gave up an RBI double to Jo Adell and walked Logan O’Hoppe in the sixth, but he escaped the jam by striking out Christian Moore and Oswald Peraza to keep Houston comfortably ahead 5-1.
Key Stat:
Sunday’s season finale will mark just the fourth time since 2015 that Houston has played a game that has already been eliminated from playoff contention.
Up Next:
Astros RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (2-5, 6.71 ERA) faces Angels LHP Sam Aldegheri (0-1, 8.00 ERA) in Sunday’s finale.
