Astros Split Opening Series with Angels: What Stood Out

Carlos Correa followed that up with an RBI single. Houston cut the lead in half. The offense completely exploded in the sixth inning with eight runs. The whole lineup batted around. It was as if the bats flipped a switch and the spark ignited. 

Once the Astros got Angels starter Reid Detmers out of the game, that opened the door to attack the bullpen. Jake Meyers started both innings by getting on base, and Joey Loperfido, who has been on fire, followed up with a hit. A wild pitch and a couple of errors gave the Astros extra life. 

Big Innings Fueled Astros Offense

With the bases loaded, Correa delivered with a short infield single that tied the game. Christian Walker had the winning run as he hit an RBI single to go up 7-6. Yainer Diaz came through with a two-RBI single, followed by a two-RBI double from Meyers. The Astros won 11-9. 

The Astros’ offense was ready early on Sunday with a four-spot in the second inning. Houston got the bases loaded thanks to a hit from Loperfido and a couple of walks. Christian Vasquez came through on his day with a two-RBI single. Yordan Alvarez drove in another on a single before Paredes got another in on a throwing error. 

After going down 6-4, the Astros had another response in the fifth as Walker continued his hot start with a hard-hit two-RBI double. With the game tied at six in the bottom of the ninth, the Houston offense got it done. With Cam Smith at third and Alvarez at second, Paredes was the man again with a big-time two-RBI double to center that gave Houston an 8-6 lead. Jose Altuve knocked in his first RBI with a double as well. 

The Astros won 9-7. Houston had 13 hits on Saturday and seven on Sunday. Compare that to five combined in the first two games. The team has big names. They woke up. Walker and Correa have looked great, as well as the two young outfielders in Meyers and Loperfido. 

Starting Pitching Not Going Deep

The Astros starting rotation was changed for this season. While the talent is there, the starters were unable to pitch deep into games. This, being the beginning of the year, is understandable. The pitch counts were high. Opening day ace Hunter Brown threw a scoreless 4.2 innings on four hits along with nine strikeouts. However, he threw 102 pitches with 59 of them for strikes. 

Mike Burrows is second in the rotation for the Astros this year, and while he was able to get through 5.2 innings, he gave up five earned runs. He threw 94 pitches, and 59 were strikes. Cristian Javier also struggled and gave up six earned runs with only one strikeout in 4.2 innings. His inconsistency continued since Tommy John surgery, and the Astros will need a better Javier as the season goes on. He was taken out after 74 pitches, with 41 for strikes. 

Tatsuya Imai wrapped up the series with his highly anticipated season debut. It wasn’t the result he would have wanted, as Imai could not get through three innings. He only pitched 2.2 innings and gave up four earned runs. Imai threw 74 pitches with just 36 for strikes. It will take a few games for him to get used to the major league level, but his stuff has immense potential. 

The first of many.#ChaseTheFight pic.twitter.com/1Ly3y7wCDX

— Houston Astros (@astros) March 29, 2026

The command was an issue for Houston’s starters. That’ll likely get better as the year goes on, but the key point is the Astros have the depth and a bullpen that can eat up the innings if needed. 

Long Relief in Bullpen

AJ Blubaugh was the standout Astros reliever in this series. The 25-year-old made his debut last season and had been used as a starter in 2025 and in Triple-A Sugar Land. He’ll be used as a long reliever this year and has put up great performances in two games so far. 

Blubaugh threw 2.1 innings of one-run ball along with three strikeouts on Opening Day. 27 of his 41 pitches were strikes. He came back with two perfect innings in the series finale on Sunday. He can be a weapon with his velocity. 

Steven Okert also looked good with 1.2 perfect innings on Friday in relief, with 15 strikes in 20 pitches. He also threw a scoreless inning on Sunday. Kai Wei-Teng also showed promise as a long reliever with 2.1 scoreless innings in the first win of the year. He got the win in the game as well. 

Roddery Munoz was used for two innings on Sunday but gave up two earned runs.