No Heaven in Sight | Los Angeles Angels | MLB The Show 26

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Los Angeles Angels • Recent Games

LAugust 14 • vs Kansas City Royals5-8

Kansas City Royals (57-66)

Miguel Andujar4-5, 2B, 3 RBI

Bobby Witt, Jr.4-5, 4 RBI, 2 R

Sonny Gray (W, 5-7)7.0 IP, 4 H, 9 SO, 3 ER

Los Angeles Angels (52-71)

Jo Adell3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

Mike Trout1-3, 2B, RBI, R

Victor Mederos (L, 3-4)3.2 IP, 7 H, 2 SO, 2 BB, 5 ER

WAugust 15 • vs Kansas City Royals2-1 (10)

Kansas City Royals (57-67)

Bobby Witt, Jr.1-3, HR, RBI, R

Brandon Lowe2-4, 2B

Matt Strahm (L, 5-4)1.1 IP, H, SO

Los Angeles Angels (53-71)

Addison Barger1-3, HR, RBI, R

Rafael Marchan1-4, RBI

Ben Joyce (W, 3-0)2.0 IP, H, 3 SO, BB, ER

WAugust 16 • vs Kansas City Royals4-3

Kansas City Royals (57-68)

Brandon Lowe1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R

KYle Isbel2-3, 2B, R

Stephen Kolek (L, 7-8)5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 SO, BB, 4 ER

Los Angeles Angels (54-71)

Addison Barger1-4, 3B, 2 RBI

Logan O'Hoppe1-3, HR, RBI, R

Sam bachman (W, 1-0)1.2 IP, 2 SO

LAugust 17 • @ Houston Astros4-6

Los Angeles Angels (54-72)

Addison Barger1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Jo Adell3-5, 2B, R

Alek Manoah (L, 8-9)0.2 IP, 6 H, BB, 6 ER

Houston Astros (69-57)

Jeremy Pena3-4, HR, 2 RBI, R

Jose Altuve1-3, 2 RBI, BB

Bryan Abreu (W, 5-3)0.2 IP, H, SO, BB, 2 ER

WAugust 18 • @ Houston Astros5-4 (11)

Los Angeles Angels (55-72)

Jo Adell2-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Yoan Moncada2-5, HR, 2B, RBI, R

Robert Stephenson (W, 5-3)1.1 IP, H, SO

Houston Astros (69-58)

Yainer Diaz3-5, 3 2B, 3 RBI

Jake Meyers1-4, RBI

Josh Hader (L, 3-4)1.0 IP, SO

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MLB • Game Recap

Alvarez dominates as Astros take rubber match

By Jordan Reyes • Staff Writer • Updated August 19, 2026 • 4 min read

Yordan Alvarez celebrates after his first of two homeruns. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Houston continued to strengthen their grasp on the top Wild Card place with a win over the Angels.

Los Angeles Angels (55-73)4

Houston Astros (70-58)7

W Abreu (6-3) • L Bachman (1-1) • S Hader (40)

Final • Daiken Park • 9 innings • 32,816

Line Score

123456789RHE

Angels002000020481

Astros20103010X7120

Yordan Alvarez needed three swings to end the Angels' series in Houston. He got them all, and the Astros took the finale 7-4 to close out the set on Wednesday.

Los Angeles opened with another bullpen game, and Joey Lucchesi never made it out of the first unscathed — Jeremy Peña singled and Alvarez followed by dropping a 345-foot shot into the left field seats for a 2-0 lead. Lucchesi settled in from there, striking out four over two innings, but the damage pattern was set.

The Angels answered in the third against Hunter Brown. Mike Trout was hit by a pitch and promptly caught stealing, but Yoán Moncada singled and Zach Neto turned on a pitch and drove it to left for a two-run homer to tie it. Houston untied it immediately: Sam Bachman came on in relief and Alvarez took him 423 feet to dead center. 3-2.

Jordan Romano got the fifth, and the fifth got away from him. Peña singled, Alvarez was intentionally walked, and Christian Walker followed with a three-run shot to right — only 371 feet, but far enough. Isaac Paredes and Yainer Díaz tacked on singles behind it, and by the time Tayler Saucedo escaped the inning the lead was 6-2.

Paredes made it 7-2 in the seventh with a 434-foot blast to left off Robert Stephenson.

Los Angeles made things briefly interesting in the eighth. Moncada led off with a 407-foot homer to center. Neto followed immediately with his second of the night, 408 feet to left, and suddenly it was 7-4 with the tying run in the on-deck circle. Houston went to Steven Okert, who struck out Jo Adell and Addison Barger and got Nolan Schanuel to ground out to end it.

Josh Hader worked a perfect ninth for his 40th save, striking out Logan O'Hoppe and Josh Lowe to finish an ugly night for the Angels catcher — 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.

Alvarez took Player of the Game honors at 3-for-3 with the two homers, three RBI and three runs scored. Peña added three hits. Bryan Abreu picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief; Bachman took the loss.

The Angels struck out 14 times and stranded runners in nearly every inning they reached base. Neto's 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBI and Moncada's 2-for-4 with a homer accounted for all four runs. Los Angeles drops to 55-73; Houston improves to 70-58.

"It feels like two steps forward, ten steps back this year." - Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto

Batting

ABRHRBIBBKAVG

Los Angeles Angels

Zach Neto422302.241

Yoan Moncada422100.274

Ben Williamson401000.229

Nolan Schanuel401001.222

Totals33484214.228

Houston Astros

Yordan Alvarez333310.307

Christian Walker411302.280

Isaac Parades412102.289

Jeremy Pena523000.304

Totals35712729.267

Pitching

IPHRERBBKERA

Los Angeles Angels

Joey Lucchesi2.0322045.40

Sam Bachman1.0111011.93

Jordan Romano1.1333105.38

Tayler Saucedo1.2400034.27

Robert Stephenson2.0111112.94

Totals8.01277293.96

Houston Astros

Hunter Brown4.0622172.56

Bryan Abreu1.0000014.77

Josh Sborz1.0000124.21

Roddery Munoz1.0222005.27

Steven Okert1.0000025.08

Josh Hader1.0000021.74

Totals9.08442143.86

Angels • Astros • AL West • Game Recap