ANAHEIM -- The line between winning and losing couldn’t have been thinner for the Astros on Monday night, with a series of plays going their way late, including two at the plate that sent Houston to a 5-4 win over the Angels in 10 innings in a breathtaking finish at Angel Stadium.\n\nAstros second baseman Jose Altuve scored the winning run on a mad dash from third base on a popup that second baseman Nick Madrigal caught about 10 feet onto the outfield grass. Rookie
**The steal** \nDown 4-3 in the ninth, Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña stole second base with one out -- the safe call was upheld following a replay review -- and he scored moments later on an RBI single by
**The bunt** \nMatthews led off the 10th with Altuve at second base as the automatic runner and put down a bunt. The ball was rolling foul, but rookie third baseman Denzer Guzman inexplicably fielded it even though he didn’t have a play on the speedy Matthews. The single put runners at first and third with no outs.\n\n“The catcher \\[Logan O’Hoppe\\] was yelling, ‘Let it go!’ and \\[Guzman\\] picked it up and I got a hit,” Matthews said. “We got the runner over. That’s all that matters at the end of the day.”\n\n**The mad dash** \nCam Smith followed Matthews with a strikeout, and Jake Meyers hit a popup that carried a backpedaling Madrigal onto the outfield grass. With rookie nine-hole hitter Collin Price on deck, Altuve made the decision to try to score from third. Madrigal caught the ball and took a step back as Altuve tagged up, but his throw home skipped past O’Hoppe, allowing a sliding Altuve to score the go-ahead run.\n\n“That was kind of like a bad play with a good result,” Altuve said. “We ended up winning the game, so we’re going to take it.”
Altuve sprinted home at 29.3 feet per second, showing he still has wheels at 36 years old.\n\n“I had the adrenaline going in that moment, so I was ready for a fly ball to the outfield,” he said. “Obviously, it was a little shorter, but I was kind of, like, committed to go.”\n\nSaid Peña: “I was just talking to him \\[and said\\] ‘You’re either a ballsy player or something’s missing up there.' He plays the game aggressive. Shoutout to Altuve. He has no fear when he plays out there, and that's what we need. We need guys that are willing to take chances and put their bodies on the line to win games.”\n\n**The throw** \nStill, the Astros needed more late-inning heroics. Enter Matthews, who fielded a single off the bat of Jose Siri with no outs in the 10th inning and threw out Trout trying to score from second base with a one-hopper to the plate. Price, making his second career start, applied the tag. Matthews threw the ball 149 feet at 93.2 mph for his first career outfield assist.\n\n“You see the great throw in the game, but people don’t see the preparation behind that throw,” Peña said. “Even though he wasn’t starting, he was ready. He was warming since the third inning. He was ready to go in, he was ready to run, he was ready to hit, he was ready to play defense.”
**The end** \n