Shohei Ohtani tried to have his night at Minute Maid Park, but Cristian Javier was just too much for him and the Angels. With a spectacular outing by the young starter, the Astros topped the Halos 8-1 to win the first game of the series. Javier, who punched out 13 Yankees on Saturday’s no-hitter, set a new career-high with 14 strikeouts on Friday night.
Even though Javier allowed a solo homer to Ohtani in the first inning, what came after that home run was pure, raw dominance. In fact, that was the only hit surrendered by Javier in seven innings of one earned run, no walks, and 14 strikeouts to pick his sixth win of the season (6-3).