HOUSTON — Tyler Anderson has been the Angels’ best and most durable starting pitcher of 2024, and he earned All-Star honors in July. But in the final days of an increasingly lost season, the crafty left-hander had a night to forget on Friday at Minute Maid Park. The Houston Astros jumped Anderson for six runs in under three innings, and they added three more off Kenny Rosenberg and Roansy Contreras during extended relief appearances on their way to a 9-7 victory. The last-place Angels (62-92) lost their second straight, while the first-place Astros (84-70) are seemingly closing in on a fourth consecutive AL West title. “Obviously, it wasn’t good,” Anderson said of his performance. “It feels bad. Our bullpen has been getting crushed lately, and so having to cover that many innings, too, really hurts on top of that.” In his shortest start since 2021, Anderson’s struggles were largely of his own doing, though it went well beyond standard pitching miscues. In fact, three of Anderson’s six runs allowed were unearned – but they came due to his own error. With one out and a runner on first base in the third, Anderson jammed Jeremy Peña with an inside cutter to induce a weak flare back to the mound. Yet, Anderson didn’t catch it – perhaps by choice – and subsequently overthrew second base on what would have been a routine force out. As it turns out, Anderson was pondering a double play before getting caught in a real-time moment of indecision. “In my head, I was [thinking] field it … or, like, let it drop, and go first to second,” Anderson said. “I came up and looked at second, for some reason, and [Jack] López was, like, ‘One! One!’ I tried to stop my throw, and just threw it. It didn’t stop it. Obviously, I made a bad throw.” Two batters later – and with two outs in an inning that should have been over – Jake Meyers pulled a three-run home run to left, giving the Astros a commanding 6-1 lead. It was Houston’s second blast of the frame, with Alex Bregman having already smashed a two-run shot to center. “I made some mistakes there, and they hit the mistakes,” Anderson said. “They’re a good offensive team, and a good team in general. When you make mistakes, you pay for it. I feel like my [stuff] was good, but my command wasn’t good.” In 2⅔ innings, Anderson (10-14) took the loss while finishing with the same number of hits allowed as outs recorded (eight). His season-long ERA only dipped from 3.60 to 3.70, due to half the runs being unearned, but that was of little consolation in the visiting dugout. Even so, the Angels showed fight and refused to go quietly. López, a journeyman second baseman who entered with one RBI, exceeded his entire career total with two RBI singles off struggling Astros starter Justin Verlander. Third baseman Eric Wagaman and catcher Matt Thaiss, among the Angels’ depth players getting more late-season opportunities, each added multiple hits and two RBIs. Verlander, who allowed eight hits in 4⅔ innings, was charged with six runs – although five came after he obtained a sizable lead. “It shows how we want to finish the season,” said Wagaman, whose three hits tied a career high. “Even going into next year. That’s a really good team over there, and overall, we’ve battled our ass off. I think our offense was great, but it’s a team sport. We were on the other side of it yesterday, where we didn’t hit much. It’s tough.” Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Taylor Ward credits September turnaround to improved mechanics Los Angeles Angels | Jose Suarez extends surge, but Angels’ bats remain cold in loss to Astros Los Angeles Angels | Angels embrace experience of September baseball against a contender Los Angeles Angels | The Audible: Shohei Ohtani’s MVP chances, Mike Trout’s future, and so long, Woj Los Angeles Angels | Angels beat White Sox in 13 innings after strong start from Jack Kochanowicz In a back-and-forth slugfest, both teams scored off relievers, too. Houston’s Kyle Tucker tied his career-high with four hits, including a sixth-inning homer. Kevin Pillar, fresh off the injured list, homered in the seventh for the Angels and made a sliding catch in center field to end an inning. The seven runs scored by a previously struggling offense were the Angels’ most since Sept. 4. But on this night, too much damage had already been done, as the Angels never got any closer than two runs after that disastrous third inning. Veteran relievers Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader retired the Angels in order in the eighth and ninth to secure the game, including four strikeouts. “I’m proud of the way they fought,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “We had to put runs on the board to stay in the game, and they did that. But we certainly had an opportunity to either tie that ballgame or get the lead, and it just didn’t happen.” “No matter what the record says, no matter who’s in the box, no one ever gives up,” Anderson surmised. “Guys had great at-bats and played good defense. It gave us a chance.”