Ronel Blanco pitched six shutout innings, and Jason Heyward hit a home run among his three hits as the Houston Astros completed a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels with a 6-4 win on Sunday.
Jeremy Peña added two hits and scored two runs, helping the Astros win their fourth straight game and stay 4 1/2 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the American League West.
Blanco (11-6) gave up two walks and struck out five in his return to the starting rotation after pitching two scoreless innings in relief on September 7 against Arizona. Blanco had been used as a reliever for a game to manage his workload in his first full major league season.
“The thing that helped me a ton was being able to have that rest before this outing,” Blanco said through an interpreter.
Josh Hader secured the final two outs for his 31st save in 33 chances.
Despite having only 52 appearances and 34 starts since 2022, Blanco is expected to be a key player as the season heads into October.
“Looking at the second half, I was looking at the things I was doing wrong and the things I could make better,” Blanco said. “The fastball was one (area of improvement). I thought I was missing up way too much with the fastball. I told myself to attack the strike zone more.”
Taylor Ward hit a home run, and rookie Eric Wagaman had two hits for the Angels, who lost their fifth straight game and dropped seven of their last eight. The Angels fell to 60-89, matching their total losses from the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Angels rookie right-hander Caden Dana (1-2) pitched 3 1/3 innings in his third career start, allowing five runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
“The only ball they got in the air, of all the hits they got, was the one Heyward hit,” Angels manager Ron Washington said about Dana’s performance. “You want the ball down on the ground, and today they found the holes. He was a little flat with his fastball but he had a good changeup working.”
