<p>HOUSTON — Shohei Ohtani’s tiebreaking solo home run in the eighth inning helped the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-2 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday to snap a four-game skid. </p>
<p>It was the second consecutive game with a homer for the two-way star, who is tied for the MLB lead with seven home runs and who is scheduled to pitch on Monday. </p>
<p>A two-run homer by Yuli Gurriel tied it in the seventh inning before Ohtani sent a fastball from Luis Garcia (0-2) 440 feet into center field to put the Angels up 3-2. </p>
<p>Anthony Bemboom added an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth. </p>
<p>The Angels ended their losing streak and avoided a four-game sweep without star Mike Trout. He missed a third consecutive game with a bruised left elbow after being hit by a pitch on Thursday night, but said that he expects to return on Monday.</p>
<p>Chris Rodriguez (1-0) struck out two in a scoreless seventh for the win and Raisel Iglesias allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth for his third save. </p>
<p>Houston starter Lance McCullers had retired 10 straight after a single by Justin Upton with two outs in the first when he hit Albert Pujols with a pitch to start the fifth inning. José Iglesias singled with one out in the inning before a walk by Jose Rojas loaded the bases. </p>
<p>David Fletcher made it 2-0 with his infield single on a hard-hit groundball that bounced off first base, into the air and out of reach of first baseman Gurriel. </p>
<p>The Astros had managed just two hits when Dylan Bundy plunked Yordan Alvarez with no outs in the seventh. Gurriel chased him when he connected on the homer to left-center that tied it at 2-2. It was the second time in this series that Gurriel tied a game with a two-run homer in the seventh after he also did it in Friday’s 5-4 win in 10 innings. </p>
<p>Bundy allowed three hits and two runs with six strikeouts in six innings and remains winless in five starts this season. </p>
<p>After scoring a season high on Saturday in a 16-2 rout, the Astros couldn’t get anything going against Bundy early on Sunday and they didn’t have more than one man on base in an inning until the sixth. </p>
<p>McCullers allowed three hits and two runs with five strikeouts in six innings in his return after being sidelined for 10 days dealing with side effects from the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. </p>
<p>TRAINER’S ROOM</p>
<p>Angels: Trout took some swings before Sunday’s game, hoping to return on Sunday, but decided he wasn’t quite ready. “It’s getting better every day,” he said. “I took a couple of swings. It’s still not 100%, but I look forward to playing tomorrow.” … Manager Joe Maddon said he expects third baseman Anthony Rendon (groin strain) to return to the lineup Monday or Tuesday. </p>
<p>Astros: Manager Dusty Baker said that RHP Jake Odorizzi, who left Saturday’s start after one out with right forearm tightness, was being evaluated by a doctor on Sunday and that he could have an update after the game. … Second baseman Jose Altuve, who revealed on Saturday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, is feeling good and Baker said he could return early next week. </p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Angels: Ohtani (0-0, 1.04 ERA) will start for Los Angeles in the opener of a three-game series on Monday night against the Texas Rangers, who will start Jordan Lyles (1-1, 4.64). </p>
<p>Astros: Houston’s Jose Urquidy (0-2, 5.14 ERA) opposes Seattle’s Justus Sheffield (1-1, 4.86) when the Astros and Mariners open a four-game series on Monday night. </p>
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