ANAHEIM, Calif, The Los Angeles Angels are playing spoiler for the Houston Astros in the final series of the season and got off to a good start Friday night, knocking the Astros down 4-3 with strong performances from starting and closing pitching, a return to form by superstar Mike Trout and contributions from some of the young players that are looking to find their footing with the Los Angeles squad.
Mike Trout does Mike Trout things
It took Mike Trout 38 games to hit three career home runs 398, 399 and 400. Since the milestone, it’s taken him four games to hit number 401, 402 and 403. He’s hit home runs in back-to-back games and had his 30th career multi-home run game against the Astros on Friday, and those long balls came up in a big way. His first home run put the Angels on the board in the bottom of the fourth and his second was the difference maker, giving the Angels the 4-3 lead and eventual winning score.Â
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Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Mike Trout (27) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Houston Astros during the fourth inning at Angel Stadium.
Trout said that passing 400 was any kind of mental difference-maker to his return to form, but that he had made adjustments earlier in the week and finally figured out what had been going wrong before.Â
“I was in a bad spot,” Trout said. “Like I’ve said all year, when I’m up there and and I’m in a good spot to recognize pitches and being on time, I feel like myself.”
Trout’s second home run, another solo shot, put him past Tim Salmon for second on the Angels all-time RBI list, with 1,017 career RBIs, only trailing Garrett Anderson for the franchise record.Â
“He’s never stopped getting after it. He’s never stopped working and he’s never been anything but committed to trying to get this thing to the playoffs,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “It’s really nice at the end of the year, given the fact that he’s still grinding through, that he’s able to put himself in a position to go into the winter and feel really good.”
Kyle Hendricks impresses for his home town team
2025 has been a resurgent season for Kyle Hendricks, and he’s been able to do it from home.Â
The Orange County native came to the Angels one a one year, $2,500,000 contract after 11 storied seasons with the Chicago Cubs looking for a lift after a down year in Chicago. It’s seemed that he found it, finishing with 1.6 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) and his most strikeouts and innings pitched since 2021.Â
Hendricks took the mound Friday night against the Astros with family and friends packing the stands.It was his last start of the season and potential last start with the Angels. It could also be the last start of his career, but he says he hasn’t begun thinking about that decision yet.Â
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Los Angeles Angels pitcher Kyle Hendricks (28) throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Angel Stadium.
“Enjoy the next two days with the fight, stay in the fight with the guys and finish it the way we should. And then, after that’s all over, that’s when you put the thought to it,” Hendricks said.Â
“The Professor” delivered five innings with eight strikeouts while allowing three runs, two of them earned and left the mound to an ovation by Angel Stadium.Â
“Couldn’t draw it up any better,” Hendricks said. “Just blessed to be a part of this group. They’ve accepted me with open arms since day one, become good friends with so many guys here.”
Hendrick’s finale was a triumphant one full of meaningful moments. One special moment was when Hendricks struck out Mauricio Dubón to finish the fourth inning. That was Hendricks’ 1,372nd career strikeout, passing Mark Gubicza on the all-time list. Gubicza is the Angels’ longtime color commentator and was in the booth to call the feat. The current and former Halo hurlers shared a glance as the moment passed.Â
Halo youth gets on the board
While Trout provided the most crowd-shaking offense of the night, it was a handful of younger Halo hitters that helped provide the crucial runs in between their superstar’s first and second home runs. Christian Moore and Denzer Guzman hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the fifth inning to score the Angels’ second run and make it a 3-2 game. Guzman finished the game 2-3 with an RBI and a run, which he scored to tie the game after a pinch-hit single down the right field line in the seventh to tie the game.
The Angels have established a strong young core with players like Zach Neto, Jo Adell, Logan O’Hoppe and Nolan Schanuel. Players like Moore and Guzman, 22 and 21 respectively, represent the even younger players behind the established stars.Â
“These guys have an opportunity in front of them and I just keep emphasizing to both of them, ‘You have to let the game come to you. You have to experience the things you’re going to experience, good, bad and otherwise,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “They’re kids. I think they’re doing a good job of letting that happen here in the last month and it will serve them well going forward.”
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Los Angeles Angels second baseman Christian Moore (4) runs after hitting a double against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium.
“They’re getting experience and they’re learning,” Trout said of the younger players. “They’re getting put in situations where they haven’t been and it’s good to see.”
The Los Angeles spoiler series
The Angels may have been ruled out of the postseason weeks ago, but the Astros need to fight for every game they can get.Â
The Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers are the barriers keeping Houston out of the third Wild Card. The two A.L. Central teams share identical records and share a one game lead over the Astros for the last possible spot in the postseason.Â
Both teams lost Friday night, giving the Astros likely the best chance they had at gaining ground in the playoff race before they too fell at the hands of Trout’s Angels. Houston remains a game back with two games left in the season, and everything comes down to the wire.Â