Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros Match Player Stats On Sep 20, 2019

Carlos Correa recorded his ninth career multi-homer game, slugging one of three first-inning home runs in the Houston Astros' 6-4 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Friday.

Playing in just his second game since his return from a lengthy spell on the injured list, Correa became the seventh member of the Astros to reach the 20-homer plateau with his two-run shot to left off Angels right-hander Jaime Barria (4-10) with one out in the first. With one out in the third, Correa homered off Barria again, drilling a 2-1 slider 393 feet to left-center for a 6-1 lead.

The Astros clinched at least a share of the American League West title with the victory, their sixth in succession against the Angels. Their five-run first set a pace the Angels failed to match.

Jose Altuve started the onslaught with his 30th home run leading off the frame, a 388-foot blast to left. Altuve joined Alex Bregman, George Springer and Yuli Gurriel with 30-plus homers, marking the first time in club history that the Astros produced four players with at least 30 home runs.

Two batters after Altuve went deep, Bregman added to his team-leading total by smacking his 38th home run to left. Two batters after that, Correa followed a Yordan Alvarez single with his first homer since Aug. 15, the only other time this season he homered twice in a game.

The Astros' 5-0 lead appeared ample enough for right-hander Zack Greinke (17-5), who allowed just one earned run over his two previous starts. But after retiring the first six batters he faced, Greinke surrendered a leadoff home run to Angels catcher Kevan Smith in the third inning before scuffling badly an inning later when the first five batters reached safely to ignite a rally.

Greinke allowed a two-run double to Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons and a run-scoring single to Smith before finally righting himself, starting with a double-play grounder off the bat of third baseman Matt Thaiss. Greinke followed with a strikeout of Michael Hermosillo, and then retired the side in order in the fifth to conclude his outing having allowed four runs on seven hits.

The Houston bullpen took it from there, with Josh James, Ryan Pressly, Will Harris and Roberto Osuna combining to blank the Angels, who have dropped 11 of their last 12 games in Houston.

--Field Level Media