Astros 4, Angels 1; 'Stros Secure Short Series Sweep

Boy howdy, this was my kind of ballgame. A dialed in starter, no bullpen surprises, and two Trogdor taters, all clocking in at a cool 2 hours 37 minutes. The only thing this game was missing to be perfect was an Orbit bobblehead giveaway.

I'm not crazy about two game series – in fact, I think they're pretty lame – but sweeping the division leaders this late in the season feels good; no matter how many games said sweep took.

Collin McHugh threw 7.2 outstanding innings tonight, striking out 8 and walking none, while giving up only 1 run on 4 hits. That's a helluva line, folks. My favorite part is the no walks bit. In fact, no Astros pitcher walked anyone tonight. I'm not going to take the time to do the research, but I'd be curious to see when the last time the Astros pulled off that particular feat. If you figure it out, let us know in the comments.

Jose Altuve now has 39 doubles. That's a lot of doubles, and he's second only to Miguel Cabrera for the American League lead. I bet casual fans who see Altuve's high batting average and small stature assume he's nothing but a slap happy singles hitter, and sure, he doesn't go yard very often, but the guy can flat out hit, and he does get his extra bases.

Speaking of XBHs: Chris Carter. The Burninator himself launched two more home runs tonight, accounting for three of Houston's 4 runs, and giving him 35 HRs on the season. The opposite field shot in the eighth was particularly impressive. It didn't look like he hit it so hard coming off the bat, but the ball just kept going, landing well up into the right field stands. He also had a single in the sixth, so he finished his night 3 for 4 at the plate.

After handily dispatching the Angels tonight, your Astros are off tomorrow. They will resume their recent reign of terror against the AL West in Oakland on Friday, when they square off against the wild card leading Athletics.