Houston Astros Bryan King (74) reacts after hitting Los Angeles Angels Wade Meckler to a pitch during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
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Houston Astros pitcher LaMonte Wade Jr. (31) delivers during the ninth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
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Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (15) tries to throw out Los Angeles Angels Vaughn Grissom at first during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
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Houston Astros Tatsuya Imai (45) reacts after starting off Los Angeles Angels Zach Neto with a ball during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
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Houston Astros relief pitcher Tatsuya Imai (45) delivers during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
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Houston Astros relief pitcher Tatsuya Imai (45) is seen in the dugout during the sixth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros relief pitcher Tatsuya Imai (45) delivers during the sixth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros relief pitcher Tatsuya Imai (45) delivers during the sixth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Yainer Diaz (21) hits a single during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
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Los Angeles Angels Wade Meckler (53) is tended to by a trainer alongside Houston Astros catcher Christian Vázquez (2) after being hit by a pitch from relief pitcher Bryan King during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Los Angeles Angels Wade Meckler (53) is checked on by Houston Astros catcher Christian Vázquez (2) after being hit by a pitch from relief pitcher Bryan King during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros relief pitcher Bryan King (74) delivers during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) fields a single by Los Angeles Angels Adam Frazier during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert (38) reacts as he walks back to the dugout after being pulled during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert (38) reacts as he walks back to the dugout after being pulled during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert (38) is pulled by manager Joe Espada during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (15) throws to first in front of left fielder Taylor Trammell after fielding a fly ball by Los Angeles Angels Nolan Schanuel during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez (44) hits a double during the third inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Nick Allen (20) reacts after hitting a single during the third inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Nick Allen (20) hits a single during the third inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston shortstop Astros Nick Allen (20) misses a throw to second as Los Angeles Angels Adam Frazier steals second base during the third inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
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Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez (44) beats the tag by Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez to score on a wild pitch during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez (44) beats the tag by Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez to score on a wild pitch during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Isaac Paredes (15) reacts after hitting a single during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Isaac Paredes (15) hits a single during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston shortstop Astros Nick Allen (20) tags out Los Angeles Angels Zach Neto (9) during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) fields throw to second as Los Angeles Angels Vaughn Grissom (5) steals second base during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert (38) delivers during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert (38) delivers during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Just one major-league team has more losses this season than an Angels club that tore apart its roster at the trade deadline and is playing out the second half. Stakes in a series at Daikin Park this week were objectively higher for the Houston Astros, who are clinging to a narrow lead in baseball’s worst division.
The result hardly reflected it. The Astros’ offense totaled seven runs in three games against the Angels. Their pitching imploded in Thursday’s finale. Losing two of three left Houston back at .500, with its lead over the Texas Rangers in the AL West at one game, and experiencing the ignominy of its most lopsided defeat of the year.
Houston Astros Bryan King (74) reacts after hitting Los Angeles Angels Wade Meckler to a pitch during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
The Angels entered Thursday with the majors’ third-lowest team OPS. No offense had scored fewer runs since July 1. Their lineup pummeled the Astros in an 18-3 rout, amassing the most runs against Houston in a game since 2019 and eliciting the discontent of a light announced crowd of 20,934 at Daikin Park.
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Trailing 2-1 after the first inning, the Angels scored three runs in the second against Peter Lambert, the Astros’ most consistent starter, and never looked back. Lambert allowed nine runs. Reliever Bryan King allowed five and recorded four outs.
Houston turned to Tatsuya Imai, the $18 million right-hander now relegated to the bullpen, to mop up three innings after it already trailed by double digits. Position player LaMonte Wade Jr., who started at first base, pitched the ninth inning in his first major-league pitching appearance.
Zach Neto, the Angels’ shortstop, struck four hits and drove in seven runs. Four other Angels recorded multiple hits. Vaughn Grissom had three and drove in three runs. Moisés Ballesteros and Adam Frazier each drove in two. Denzer Guzman hit a two-run home run on a 40 mph pitch from Wade.
The Astros totaled eight hits. Their struggling offense recorded 16 hits in the three-game series. They’ve scored three or fewer runs in eight of their last 11 games. Angels right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who entered with a 7.17 ERA, worked seven innings against them Thursday and allowed two unearned runs.
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Five of their eight hits were singles. Houston also committed two errors, had two wild pitches and went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position in an abject disaster of a defeat. Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve were removed before the sixth, offered a reprieve from the final innings.
Rough night for Peter Lambert
Lambert had allowed two or fewer runs in eight consecutive starts and 13 of his last 14 outings. Among American League pitchers with at least 100 innings this season, he had the ninth-lowest ERA, at 3.11. His roughest outing of the season inflated it by more than half a run.
The Angels scored nine runs on eight hits against Lambert, both season highs for the right-hander. Their average 81.3 mph exit velocity on 17 balls put in play against him reflected some tough batted-ball luck, but Lambert induced just nine whiffs on 40 swings and struggled to stem innings.
Wade Meckler beat an infield single and scored on a flare single by Zach Neto in the first. Lambert used 32 pitches in the second, when Moisés Ballesteros doubled and Vaughn Grissom and Josh Lowe singled with no outs and all three eventually scored.
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A clean third inning proved the exception. Josh Lowe singled to open the fourth and scored on a one-out double from Adam Frazier. Lambert walked the next two batters to load the bases. Neto’s two-out single made it 6-2 and chased Lambert. All three runs he bequeathed scored against Bryan King.
Lambert has been Houston’s most reliable starter this season, and his workload must be considered. He has thrown 137 innings between Triple-A and the majors. That is already his highest number since 2019, when he threw 149⅓ innings in the Rockies’ system, with five weeks of the season still to play.
Failures with runners in scoring position
The Astros had early scoring chances, too, but a 1-for-9 mark with runners in scoring position in the first five innings undermined them.
Houston had Rodriguez on the ropes in the first. He walked his first two batters. Isaac Paredes singled to load the bases with no outs. Only miscues by the Angels permitted the Astros to score. Jose Altuve hit a grounder to Grissom, the third baseman, who yanked his throw to the plate. A run scored and the bases remained full.
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Daulton Varsho flied out, too shallow for a sacrifice fly. Taylor Trammell took a called third strike. A wild pitch by Rodriguez let Yordan Alvarez score from third before Cam Smith’s groundout ended the inning.
Alvarez doubled to start the third. Rodriguez retired Paredes, Altuve and Varsho in order without letting Alvarez advance 90 feet. In the fifth, with two on and one out, he induced a double-play grounder from Paredes that ended the inning.
Tatsuya Imai appears
Relegated from the starting rotation, Imai pitched for just the third time since July 27. Houston’s call-up of Ethan Pecko to start Tuesday underscored where Imai currently stands in the rotation hierarchy. His relief outing Thursday also ruled out any possibility Imai could start Sunday against the A’s, a game for which the Astros have not announced a starter.
Imai’s previous two relief outings each comprised three scoreless innings. In this one, he worked three innings and allowed two runs. Imai allowed two hits, walked two batters and struck out three. The two walks both scored on a double by Neto in the seventh. The appearance underscored what role Imai can play down the stretch for a team with playoff aspirations.
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Lineup notes
Christian Walker was not in the Astros lineup, with LaMonte Wade Jr. starting at first base. Manager Joe Espada said he wanted to rest Walker, citing the Astros starting a stretch of 13 games with no off-day on Tuesday in New York.
Houston started four left-handed hitters against Rodriguez, who entered the day allowing a .940 OPS to left-handed hitters and a .796 OPS to righties. Wade slotted in the leadoff spot with shortstop Jeremy Peña sidelined by a hand contusion, the result of a hit-by-pitch Wednesday.
It was Wade’s first start in the leadoff spot for Houston. Espada noted Wade’s at-bats against Rodriguez in a June 8 meeting in Anaheim, in which Wade walked, doubled and lined out against the right-hander. Wade entered the day hitting. 226 for the Astros but with a .350 on-base percentage.
Up next
The Astros will begin a three-game series against the A’s on Friday at Daikin Park, the conclusion of a 10-day homestand.
Hayden Wesneski and Hunter Brown are slated to start the first two games for the Astros, who have not announced a starter for Sunday. Cristian Javier would be on turn to pitch that day. Javier lasted just four innings in his outing Monday against the Angels, allowing two runs and throwing 87 pitches.
The A’s will start right-hander J.T. Ginn and left-hander Jacob Lopez in the first two games of the series. They also have not named a starter for Sunday’s finale. Houston is 3-3 this season against the A’s, who entered Thursday with the majors’ worst record and a 9-36 mark since June 26.