HOUSTON — George Klassen has come a long way since April, when he could barely throw the ball over the plate in his two nightmarish major league starts.
Since coming back to the big leagues this month, Klassen has gotten better each start, including seven scoreless innings in the Angels’ 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
Klassen, 24, gave up one hit, with three walks and seven strikeouts.
He has a 1.59 ERA in three starts since returning to the majors, after posting an 11.57 ERA in those two April outings.
“That was some of the best stuff we’ve seen all year,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “Just attacking with his fastballs, some pretty nasty sliders, but I think it was more the commanding the zone, getting ahead. Just on the attack. Didn’t make it too complicated. Knew what he did best and went after them.”
Klassen threw only four pitches all night that weren’t fastballs or sliders. He recorded five of his seven strikeouts on sliders, including one that whiffed presumptive American League MVP Yordan Alvarez in the first inning.
Klassen got into a jam in the first inning, when he issued a walk and then gave up a hit, putting runners at the corners. He then fell behind Daulton Varsho, 3-and-1. Klassen then threw two more sliders, and Varsho whiffed at both, ending the inning.
“The legs were feeling a little jelly that first inning,” Klassen said. “The slider was the pitch that was feeling the best. Just stuck to that strength and just went at him with it.”
After that, he cruised. Starting with the strikeout of Varsho, Klassen retired 19 out of 21 hitters, without allowing a hit. He mostly induced the Astros to put the ball in play and make quick outs. Klassen threw 20 pitches in the first inning, and then 66 over the next six innings.
“That’s a really tough lineup over there,” Suzuki said. “The calmness, it really felt like he was in control the whole night. I think that’s just experience, maturity, and just believing and trusting his stuff and his strengths and and attacking with it.”
The Angels’ defense supported him nicely, including a couple of good plays by third baseman Denzer Guzman and a spectacular play from shortstop Zach Neto. Alvarez hit a soft looper to the left of second base, with Neto shading up the middle. He went to his right to backhand the ball and then he made an off balance throw to get Alvarez.
The bullpen also got the job done, albeit in a surprising fashion.
Right-hander José Fermin started the eighth by allowing a homer and a single. With one out in the inning and the left-handed Alvarez coming to the plate as the potential tying run, Suzuki didn’t go to his best lefty, Samy Natera Jr. Suzuki revealed after the game that Natera is dealing with back tightness, so they wanted to give him the day off.
Instead, Suzuki brought in right-hander Ryan Watson. He struck out Alvarez and got Isaac Paredes on a fly out.
“We went with Watty and he made some huge pitches to get us out there,” Suzuki said.
Joyce then worked the ninth to record the save, striking out two. He has not allowed a run in any of six outings since returning from shoulder surgery earlier this month.
Offensively, the Angels (50-76) had a steady stream of baserunners early in the game and they actually managed to drive a couple of them in with two-out hits.
In the third, Nolan Schanuel’s two-out single drove in Wade Meckler with the first run of the game.
Josh Lowe hit an opposite-field solo homer over the left-field fence in the fourth inning, his 10th homer of the season.
In the fifth, Schanuel singled with two outs and then Neto ripped the first pitch he saw off the left-field fence, driving in Schanuel to put the Angels ahead 3-0.
“It’s not going to be perfect all the time,” Suzuki said, “but they kept battling and kept having good at-bats.”