HOUSTON (AP) — Mike Trout watched as a low sinker grazed the outside corner of the strike zone in the third inning Sunday, rung up once again in a weekend filled with strikeouts.
Before trudging back to the dugout he made a face that seemed to scream: Yikes!
The Angels star went 0 for 11 with nine strikeouts in a three-game series and Los Angeles hitters fanned 20 times overall Sunday as the Houston Astros won 4-2 for a sweep.
“Mike Trout is an he is a future Hall of Famer. He’s going to come around,” Angels acting interim manager Bill Haselman said. “It’s too long of a season never to have struggles. And everybody goes through it, even the best in the game. And he’s going through it right now and we’re confident he’ll get out of it.”
Rookie Jeremy Peña homered twice, capped by a two-run drive with two outs in the ninth inning off Ryan Tepera (1-2) to win it.
Trout struck out seven straight times in the first two games. In the finale, the three-time AL MVP reached base in his first at-bat on an error by Pena at shortstop before striking out looking in his next two plate appearances.
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