{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
Major League Baseball
LA Angels 8, Houston 1
When: 3:05 PM ET, Sunday, October 2, 2016
Where: Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
Temperature: 75°
Umpires: Home - Bob Davidson, 1B - Dale Scott, 2B - Dan Iassogna, 3B - Lance Barrett
Attendance: 28083

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Houston Astros have a batting champion. Will the Los Angeles Angels have the American League's most valuable player?

Jose Altuve secured his second batting championship in three seasons in the Astros' 8-1 loss to the Angels on Sunday in front of 28,063 at Angel Stadium.

Altuve finished with a .338 average and a league-leading 216 hits after going 1-for-4. His only hit was a broken-bat single in the top of the ninth inning.

"He can hit in his sleep," said Houston manager A.J. Hinch, whose team lost seven of its final 10 games. "He loves to hit. He can do so many things with the bat."

Altuve put his personal accomplishments in perspective.

"It's good to win the batting championship and lead the league in hits," Altuve said. "Every time you do something like that, you're doing something good for the team. My teammates expect me to play hard every day, and that's what I do."

Meanwhile, the Angels' Mike Trout stole his 30th base and drove in his 100th run of the season in going 1-for-2 with two walks. Trout finished fifth in the American League with a .315 average and led the major leagues with a .441 on-base percentage.

"This guy is the MVP," Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said. "I don't think there's any question. I don't think there's anybody who has done as much as he has done on the field. This guy is like the Energizer bunny. He just keeps going. He doesn't give in to anything."

Trout, who needed one home run to finish with 30, admitted being aware of round numbers helping his case.

"I was definitely thinking about it the whole game," Trout said about hitting his 30th homer. "I knew about them, for sure."

Right-hander Jhoulys Chacin (6-8) pitched seven scoreless innings for his first win since Aug. 27. In his seven innings, Chacin scattered three hits, issued one walk, amassed seven strikeouts and induced 11 groundouts for his fourth successive quality start.

Jefry Marte added his 15th home run as the Angels finished the season by winning nine of their final 11 games.

The hosts turned four hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly into a 4-0 lead in the second inning against right-hander Brady Rodgers, who was making his first major-league start after four relief appearances.

Marte started the rally by drawing a walk and Andrelton Simmons followed with a hit-and-run single that sent Marte to third base. Rafael Ortega's single brought Marte home and Carlos Perez's double down the left-field line scored Simmons while putting Ortega at third base.

Cliff Pennington hit a single that short-hopped right fielder Teoscar Hernandez, scored Ortega and sent Perez to third. Yunel Escobar's sacrifice fly brought Perez home.

Rodgers (0-1) threw a season-high 82 pitches in just 3 2/3 innings. The rookie allowed four runs, five hits and three walks.

In the sixth, Los Angeles combined three hits, a walk, a fielder's choice and a passed ball into three runs and a 7-0 advantage. Kole Calhoun hit a fly ball that center fielder Jake Marisnick lost in the sun for a two-run double before being replaced by pinch runner Nick Buss. Trout lined a single into right field to score Buss for his 100th RBI.

Jett Bandy pinch ran for Trout, who received a standing ovation from the fans and a hug from Calhoun. Marte added his 15th home run in the seventh when he propelled Jandel Gustave's 97 mph fastball over the fence in left-center field for a solo drive.

The Astros broke the shutout in the eighth against reliever J.C. Ramirez. Colin Moran began the inning with a double down the left-field line, moved to third on Marisnick's groundout and scored on Hernandez's sacrifice fly.

NOTES: Plate umpire Bob Davidson will retire after Sunday's contest. Davidson has called more than 3,900 major league games, including the 1992 World Series, in his 28-year career. ... Houston finished with a 41-40 road record, its first winning record away from home since 2004. ... Astros RF George Springer became the first member of the team since Carlos Lee in 2007 to play all 162 games. ... Astros DH Jose Altuve needs one stolen base for 200 in his career. ... Los Angeles RHP Jered Weaver said before Saturday night's game he does not plan to retire despite nagging injuries and declining velocity. Weaver, who will turn 34 on Tuesday, is a free agent. ... Angels manager Mike Scioscia needs one win to tie Hall of Famer Clark Griffith for 22nd place with 1,491 victories. ... The Angels became the first team since the 1969 Montreal Expos without an extra-inning victory.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Houston   LA Angels
Brady Rodgers Player Jhoulys Chacin
Loss W/L Win
3.2 IP 7.0
0 Strikeouts 7
5 Hits 4
9.82 ERA 0.00
Hitting
Houston   LA Angels
George Springer Player Rafael Ortega
1 Hits 2
0 RBI 1
0 HR 0
1 TB 2
1.000 Avg .667
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
Houston 7 0 8 .219 14 8 1 1 0 0
LA Angels 9 1 15 .281 17 5 8 6 2 0