Astros 8, Angels 5: The Redemption of Altuve

Because of the draft Thursday night (and all the draft-related content we produced), our usual post game recap got delayed. But, it's never too late to talk about an Astros victory.

With the 8-5 win, Houston takes another series and finishes the homestand with a 4-3 record. What wasa impressive about Thursday's victory is how Houston kept tacking on runs. They overcame an early Angels lead, faced some adversity by not scoring runs, but bounced back to extend the lead and see the bullpen finish out the game.

Let's talk about that adversity first. Jose Altuve went from goat to hero in just a few innings. One inning, he's got the bases loaded and a chance to extend Houston's slim 4-3 lead. Instead, he strikes out.

Luckily, redemption came for him pretty quickly. In the bottom of the eighth, Houston took advantage of Cam Bedrosian's meltdown, as Robbie Grossman and Carlos Corporan both walked to put runners on first and second. With two outs, Dexter Fowler also walked to load the bases, setting up Altuve for heroics.

He came through, smashing a double to left field that drove in two runs. George Springer followed with a Springle of his own that drove in two more and made it 8-3 Astros.

Five different Houston relievers came in after Brad Peacock lasted five innings. It's the second time in three games that the Angels have chased the Astros starter by the fifth inning. But, it's also the second time in three games when the Houston bullpen has stepped up and sopped up the innings.

Before we go, let's not forget the best part of this game. That would be Jon Singleton's stolen base.

Look at that. Look how majestic it was. Look how he stands on second, his jersey open to the navel, staring at the other team, daring them to challenge his wanton sexuality. Gator is a fantastic nickname for Singleton, because only Archer and Burt Reynolds have the bravado to pull off that look. Well done, Jon. Well done.