Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe slugged three-run home runs as part of a seven-run fifth inning as the visiting Los Angeles Angels topped the Houston Astros 9-7 on Monday.
Schanuel, O’Hoppe and Jo Adell — who went back-to-back with O’Hoppe with two outs in the fifth — all homered on the first pitch as the Angels dramatically erased a five-run deficit against Astros starter Framber Valdez (3-2).
O’Hoppe and Adell had their fourth and ninth home runs, respectively.
Schanuel initiated the ambush with one out, driving a changeup 368 feet out to right field and plating Willie Calhoun and Zach Neto. Schanuel’s fifth homer of the season sliced the deficit to 6-4.
After consecutive two-out singles from Taylor Ward and Kevin Pillar, O’Hoppe launched his 416-foot shot to left. Adell then crushed the next pitch 387 feet to right for an 8-6 advantage.
O’Hoppe homered off a curveball while Adell smacked a sinker the opposite way to right. It was a sudden unraveling for Valdez, who entered the fifth with four hits allowed, all singles.
Valdez allowed two singles in the first and a subsequent sacrifice fly to Ward that gave the Angels a 1-0 lead.
Valdez surrendered six of his season-high 10 hits in the fifth. The Angels tagged him for eight runs, also a season high, and one walk over five innings.
Neto capped the homer barrage by leading off the sixth with a bomb off Astros reliever Rafael Montero.
The Astros secured a 6-1 lead with a power surge of their own. Jose Altuve drilled a three-run home run, his ninth, off Angels starter Reid Detmers to cap a four-run second. Yainer Diaz singled home a run earlier in the frame.
With one out in the fourth, Diaz doubled and Mauricio Dubon followed with his second home run of the season, a 372-foot shot to left.
Detmers allowed six runs on eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts over four innings. Jose Suarez (1-0) worked two hitless innings to earn the win. Carlos Estevez notched his seventh save despite allowing a run-scoring single to Kyle Tucker in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
