Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Angels starting pitcher Griffin Canning throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Houston Astros on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
The Houston Astros’ Yainer Diaz hits an RBI single during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez runs home to score on a single by Yainer Diaz during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a single hit by designated hitter Yainer Diaz during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Angels starting pitcher Griffin Canning throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Houston Astros on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Injured Angels star Mike Trout sits in the dugout during the second inning of their game against the Houston Astros on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez, right, reacts as he beats the Angels’ Nolan Schanuel to first base for an out during the first inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena throws out the Angels’ Taylor Ward at first base during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Angels second baseman Kyren Paris fields a ground ball hit by the Houston Astros’ Trey Cabbage during the second inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
The Angels’ Kevin Pillar, left, is given an electronic halo by teammate Zach Neto after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of their game against the Houston Astros on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Angels shortstop Zach Neto, right, greets teammate Kevin Pillar with an electronic halo after Pillar hit a solo home run during the second inning of their game against the Houston Astros on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman throws out the Angels’ Kyren Paris at first during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Angels right fielder Jo Adell makes a running catch for an out on a ball hit by the Houston Astros’ Jeremy Peña during the third inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez smiles on the mound during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena catches a pop fly hit by the Angels’ Kevin Pillar during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve throws to first to complete a double play after forcing out the Angels’ Taylor Ward, left, at second base to end the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez walks to the dugout after getting a strikeout to end the bottom of the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Angels second baseman Kyren Paris throws out the Houston Astros’ Jose Abreu at first during the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
The Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez hits a three-run double during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Angels center fielder Kevin Pillar dives for but misses a ball hit for a three-run double by the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez during the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
The Houston Astros’ Alex Bregman slides home to score behind Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe on a three-run double from Yordan Alvarez during the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. The Astros won, 7-1. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a three-run double hit by Yordan Alvarez during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Houston Astros designated hitter Yainer Diaz celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Angels relief pitcher Hunter Strickland shows his frustration after giving up a two-run home run to the Houston Astros’ Yainer Diaz during the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Houston Astros designated hitter Yainer Diaz, right, celebrates with Yordan Alvarez after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Houston Astros designated hitter Yainer Diaz celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
The Houston Astros’ Jose Abreu celebrates his solo home run during the eighth inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
The Houston Astros’ Jose Abreu celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Angels relief pitcher Roansy Contreras throws out the Houston Astros’ Yainer Diaz at first during the ninth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
The Angels’ Nolan Schanuel reacts after a ball he hit went foul during the ninth inning of their game against the Houston Astros on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez, right, celebrates with catcher Victor Caratini after their 7-1 victory over the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez, right, meets with catcher Victor Caratini after Valdez threw a four-hitter in their 7-1 victory over the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
From left, Houston Astros left fielder Chas McCormick, center fielder Jake Meyers and right fielder Trey Cabbage celebrate after their 7-1 victory over the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Houston Astros special advisor and former MLB star Reggie Jackson signs autographs with fans before a game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve signs autographs before their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Houston Astros special advisor and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson signs autographs before the Astros’ game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM — The Angels couldn’t solve Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez this time around.
Valdez notched his seventh complete game in the past four seasons, holding the Angels to one run and four hits in the Astros’ 7-1 victory in the opener of the three-game series on Friday night at Angel Stadium.
Valdez (5-3) struck out eight and walked one on 106 pitches, inducing 15 ground-ball outs along the way.
“The way the game turned out, if we were going to win that game, it was going to be a close one because Framber Valdez was Framber Valdez tonight,” Angels manager Ron Washingon said. “We faced one of the best pitchers in the game and, tonight, he had his best against us.”
On Friday, however, Valdez looked more like the two-time American League All Star who threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Guardians last August and was nearly unhittable in two of his three starts against the Angels last season.
Keven Pillar blasted a solo home run to account for the only run for the Angels (24-39), who were trying to win their fourth game in a row to match their season-best winning streak.
Angels starter Griffin Canning (2-6) matched Valdez for six innings before Houston exploded for five runs in the seventh. Canning allowed three runs and seven hits, all singles, in 6⅓ innings, striking out two and walking two.
“I felt pretty good,” Canning said. “I’m really just trying to go one pitch at a time and just execute pitches.”
The Astros (29-35) knocked Canning from the game with back-to-back one-out singles by Trey Cabbage and Jose Altuve in the seventh. Hunter Strickland entered and appeared to get Alex Bregman looking at a called third strike, but instead he walked.
“I thought it was down the middle, but what can you do about it,” Washington said of the missed third strike.
Yordan Alvarez then lined a two-strike pitch into the left-center field gap that fell just out of the reach of a diving Pillar. The ball rolled to the wall, allowing all three base runners to score for a 4-1 lead.
“That ball that Alvarez hit, I thought (Strickland) beat him on that ball, but the type of hitter he is, he split that gap perfectly,” Washington said.
Strickland got the second out on a hard line out to left before Yainer Diaz homered for the fourth straight game to extend the lead to 6-1.
Strickland, who had allowed one run and four hits in his previous 10 appearances covering 8⅓ innings, didn’t point to the missed called strike as an excuse for his off night.
“They’ve got an incredible lineup top to bottom,” Strickland said. “I’ve got to make a better pitch.”
Valdez needed just six pitches to get through both the first and sixth innings
After Taylor Ward singled to center to start the fourth, Valdez retired nine in a row before Pillar singled with one out in the seventh.
Jose Abreu added a solo shot in the eighth to stretch the lead to 7-1.
Canning gave up three straight two-out singles to Alvarez, Jeremy Peña and Diaz in the first inning to give Houston a 1-0 lead.
Pillar homered on the first pitch of the second inning to tie the score at 1-1.
“Framber left something and he got it,” Washington said. “We got four hits, (Pillar) got two of them, so he was on time tonight.”
Angels third baseman Luis Rengifo helped Canning with a pair of dazzling plays in the middle innings.
He made a backhand sliding stop on a hard grounder by Altuve with one out in the fifth, and then made a diving backhand grab of a line drive off the bat of Victor Caratini to end the sixth.
The Angels faced a Houston lineup that was without right fielder Kyle Tucker for a third consecutive game. Tucker, a two-time All Star and AL RBI leader last season, fouled a ball off his shin on Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals and was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday with right shin contusion.
Denial of responsibility! Chronicles Live is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials, please contact us by email – chronicleslive.com. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.
