Astros open final homestand, against Angels, with eye on division crown

In advance of their final homestand of the season, a seven-game set that starts Thursday night against the Los Angeles Angels, the Houston Astros muffed a shot to reduce their magic number to clinch the American League West by losing 4-0 to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.

Despite dropping the rubber match of the three-game series to the Padres, the Astros (82-70) went 4-2 on their penultimate road trip that included a three-game sweep of the Angels.

Houston enters play Thursday with a five-game lead over the second-place Seattle Mariners in the AL West with 10 games to play. The Mariners will follow the Angels into Houston for a crucial three-game series beginning Monday.

Even in defeat on Wednesday, the Astros received more confirmation that left-hander Framber Valdez deserves a Game 1 start should they qualify for the postseason. He allowed one run over seven innings against the Padres and is 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA over his past 15 starts. The Astros are 13-2 in that stretch.

Known for his curveball-sinker mix, Valdez continues to wield a changeup that is increasingly becoming a viable third pitch.

"I thought that pitch (the changeup) played really well," Astros manager Joe Espada said.

Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (9-9, 4.29 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Thursday. He improved to 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA since being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline after allowing three runs on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts over seven innings in a 5-3 win over the Angels on Friday.

The Astros improved to 8-0 with Kikuchi on the mound. He has won his last three starts, posting a 3.60 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 20 innings.

Kikuchi is 2-4 with a 9.12 ERA over 12 career appearances (10 starts) against the Angels.

Left-hander Jose Suarez (1-2, 6.80 ERA) will make his second start and 21st appearance of the season for the Angels. He most recently pitched on Friday against the Astros, when he threw four scoreless innings of relief while allowing five hits and recording five strikeouts. The Angels lost 5-3.

Suarez has made two scoreless appearances since being recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sept. 9. He was 2-3 with a 6.54 ERA and 62 strikeouts over 52 1/3 innings with Salt Lake.

Suarez is 3-3 with a 4.20 ERA over 11 career appearances (seven starts) against the Astros, posting 37 strikeouts over 40 2/3 innings.

Angels manager Ron Washington emptied his bench and nearly used every reliever available in the bullpen in a 4-3, 13-inning victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday that clinched the three-game series for the Angels (62-90), who snapped a six-game skid with their win over Chicago the previous evening.

Washington exhausted five reserves and six relievers, holding back right-hander Roansy Contreras. One of those bench contributors, Mickey Moniak, pinch-ran and scored in the 11th inning and worked a walk in the bottom of the 12th despite being instructed not to swing the bat. Moniak, hit by a pitch on the left hand Sunday against the Astros, missed the first two games of the White Sox series.

"I think if he wanted to he could have," Washington said of Moniak swinging the bat. "But we sent him up there and told him not to.

"He's not ready to do that yet. Maybe (Thursday) he will be, but he wasn't ready."

--Field Level Media