Isaac Paredes shines as Astros earn four-game split vs. Angels

Isaac Paredes delivered a two-out, two-strike double in the eighth inning, and the Houston Astros earned a split of their four-game season-opening series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels with a 9-7 victory on Sunday.

Paredes' second double drove home Cam Smith and Yordan Alvarez and snapped a 6-6 tie. Angels reliever Drew Pomeranz (0-1) hit Smith with a pitch to open the eighth and issued an intentional walk to Alvarez with two outs to set the table for Paredes, who roped a full-count fastball to right. Jose Altuve followed with an RBI double that plated pinch-runner Nick Allen.

Alvarez walked three times and added an RBI single in the Astros' four-run second inning. Paredes finished 2-for-5 while Altuve worked a pair of walks in addition to his RBI single.

Astros reliever AJ Blubaugh (1-1) earned the win with two perfect innings of relief. Astros left-hander Bryan King earned the save with a pair of strikeouts in the ninth.

The Astros seized a 4-0 lead in the second against Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz when Christian Vazquez slapped a two-run single to right field before Alvarez followed two batters later with a single to right that plated Smith. Vazquez scored when Paredes reached on a throwing error by Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada.

The Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai, making his big league debut, surrendered that four-run advantage a half-inning after he secured it.

Imai labored through a 25-pitch top of the first, but ultimately stranded a pair of baserunners in part by recording called third strikes against Mike Trout and Jorge Soler. Imai retired the Angels in order in the second, but things came undone in the third inning, a frame Imai did not escape.

Four consecutive Angels reached with one out in the third, and Soler delivered a bases-clearing double to left that scored Zach Neto (walk), Trout (single) and Nolan Schanuel (walk). Jo Adell chased Imai with an RBI single that scored Soler and knotted the game at 4-4.

Neto smacked a two-run homer off Astros reliever Roddery Munoz in the fourth that gave the Angels a 6-4 lead.

--Field Level Media