Zach Neto blasts 2 homers, drives in 6 as Angels stun Astros late

HOUSTON – In one of the best games of his young Major League career, Zach Neto hit two home runs and had a tiebreaking three-run double in the ninth inning as the Angels rallied to win Sunday’s series finale versus the Houston Astros, 9-6.

The win salvaged a game of the four-game set at Minute Maid Park, and it was the first victory for the Angels in seven games versus the Astros over 10 days.

“It’s definitely up there,” said Neto, asked if it was his best game. Manager Ron Washington wasn’t quite as modest.

“His last three at-bats, he took the game over,” Washington said. “He has that capability. When he learns how to just trust his work and trust what his abilities are, he can do that type of stuff.”

After trailing 4-0 through five, Neto cut the deficit in half with a two-run homer in the sixth. In a back-and-forth slugfest, the Angels tied it in the seventh on a balk and Nolan Schanuel’s sacrifice fly, and they took their first lead in the eighth on Neto’s second homer.

“I was just trying to put together quality at-bats, and trying not to do too much,” said Neto, who had gone through a 3-for-39 slump (.077 average, .246 OPS) over his previous 10 games. The 23-year-old now has 23 homers this season, most all-time by an Angels shortstop.

“I felt like I was pressing a little bit, but I was finally able to come through for the team,” Neto added. “Today, [my swing] felt good.”

The Astros regained the lead in the eighth on RBI hits by Yainer Diaz and Shay Whitcomb. But the Angels torched Astros closer Josh Hader with four runs in the ninth, including an RBI walk by Taylor Ward and Neto’s three-run double. Ultimately, Hader recorded just one out while allowing five to reach base, and Neto’s double – pulled to left field off a 96-mile-per-hour fastball – ended Hader’s day.

“Our offense kept grinding,” Washington said. “And we did it against their best pitchers, [Bryan] Abreu and Hader. They brought Abreu in during the seventh, so they were definitely trying to hold that game, and we came through. I’m very proud of the way they fought.”

The Astros made things interesting with two runs in the ninth off two-out RBIs by Diaz and Victor Caratini, but Guillo Zuniga picked up his second career save by striking out Jeremy Pena to end it.

“We held on,” Washington said. “It should have been an easier victory, but that team over there, what’s their saying? Relentless [the Astros’ 2024 branding slogan]. They showed it again. But we were also relentless in holding on.”

For the Angels (63-93), it’s just one win as they play out the string on a disappointing season that could soon end with them in last place in the AL West for the first time since 1999. The Astros (85-71) remain comfortably in first as they seek a fourth straight division crown.

Yet, for a second time in three days, the Angels’ recently struggling offense showed fight versus an elite opponent. And unlike Friday, when the Angels trimmed an 8-3 deficit to 9-7 but couldn’t get over the final hump, Sunday’s comeback bid was completed.

“We’ve always been resilient,” said Washington, whose team has now eliminated any possibility of having 100 losses. “We’ve always played nine innings.”

“Even the games they beat us, we were in it. A couple hits here or plays there, it’s a different story. So, we just learned how to win. That’s what it comes down to, learning how to win. Those guys over there [the Astros] know how to win. But the day is going to come when we’re one of those teams that knows how to win. I have no doubt.”

“It shows what we’re capable of doing next year,” added Neto, who tied his career-high with six RBIs. “To beat a team like that, playing for a spot in the playoffs, it’s pretty cool to come out with the win and make them work for it.”

Among pitchers, it was a third straight day in which Houston’s “relentless” offense chased an Angels starter early. This time, it was Griffin Canning, who allowed six runs, three walks, and four runs in 4⅓ innings. Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman homered, with Bregman’s two-run, opposite-field shot in the fifth ending Canning’s afternoon.

“I got Bregman out on two fastballs early in the game, so, nitpicking… maybe I should’ve gone with the slider or something,” Canning said. “But obviously he’s a really good hitter, and he put a good swing on a decent pitch, and that’s what he does.”

“We’re just playing for each other right now,” Canning said. “We’re trying to build something here. We’re not just going to let the record have us roll over and stop fighting. We’re going to play it out to the last game.”