Pecko fans 4 in MLB debut, Vázquez hits 7th homer as the Astros beat the Angels 3-2

HOUSTON (AP) — Ethan Pecko struck out four in his major-league debut, five Houston relievers pitched shutout ball for five-plus innings and Christian Vázquez homered as the Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Pecko, a 2023 sixth-round selection by Houston, was ranked ninth in the Astros' system by MLB Pipeline. The 23-year-old right-hander allowed three hits, two runs and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. He was the 17th starter used by the Astros this season, which tied a franchise record set in 1965.

Vázquez's solo homer, his seventh of the year, put the Astros ahead in the third inning.

Nick Allen pinch-hit for Jeremy Peña after Peña was hit by a 100-mph sinker on his hand in the first. The Astros said he had a right hand contusion.

In the same inning, manager Joe Espada was ejected after arguing a hit-by-pitch call.

Denzer Guzman put the Angels ahead in the fourth with what initially appeared to be a three-run homer. But, the call was changed to a two-run double due to fan interference.

Houston's Jose Altuve tied the game with an RBI double in the bottom half of the inning, and Cam Smith put the Astros ahead with a sacrifice fly that scored Isaac Paredes.

Bennett Sousa (1-1) earned the win in relief and Josh Hader earned his 18th save.

Walbert Ureña (8-9) worked five innings for the Angels, allowing three runs on three hits with seven strikeouts.

Astros RHP Peter Lambert (8-6, 3.11 ERA) faces Angels RHP Grayson Rodriguez (3-5, 7.17) in the series finale on Thursday.

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Houston Astros manager Joe Espada, left, argues with first base umpire Lance Barrett (16) during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Los Angeles Angels' Denzer Guzman watches his two-run double, on fan interference, during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) catches the throw from catcher Christian Vázquez before tagging out Los Angeles Angels' Josh Lowe as he tries to steal second base during the sixth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Astros' Christian Vázquez, left, celebrates with Cam Smith in the dugout after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Astros pitcher Josh Hader throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pat Murphy doesn’t sound like the manager of a team with the best record in the major leagues as he discusses what the Milwaukee Brewers have accomplished thus far.

“I don’t think we’ve played great,” the two-time reigning NL manager of the year said Wednesday. “We haven’t really jelled. We haven’t really come together."

The Brewers’ results tell a different story.

Milwaukee appears well on its way to earning its eighth playoff berth in the last nine seasons as it chases a fourth consecutive NL Central title. The Brewers won three of four from the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers last weekend and trounced Seattle 22-0 on Tuesday before their four-game winning streak ended with a 7-5 loss to the Mariners on Wednesday.

“There’s so much that I see that needs to improve, yet you look up and everybody’s saying, ‘Wow, I love the way you play,’ “ Murphy said before Wednesday's game. “And I look funny and I look behind me, and I see if they’re talking to someone else. Really? Maybe I’m too critical. Maybe I’m missing something. I don’t know. I do trust the team.”

They’ve been rewarding that trust.

The Brewers just completed a 17-day run that included no days off, one complete West Coast trip and part of another. They went 10-7 during that stretch.

After losing three straight games at San Diego last week, the Brewers responded by winning a series with the Dodgers, who swept them out of the NL Championship Series last year. After finally getting a day off Monday, the Brewers delivered their 22-0 blowout of Seattle that matched the most one-sided shutout in modern MLB history.

“I think it says we’re a good baseball team,” first baseman Jake Bauers said. “I think in tough times it can be easy to lose sight of that, but we have the right people around to bounce back when things get tough, and we have the right people around to continue to play winning baseball.”

Milwaukee has needed to stay hot to remain ahead of the Chicago Cubs, who have won 11 of their last 16 games and are 4 1/2 behind Milwaukee in the NL Central standings. The Brewers and Cubs face off in a four-game series Aug. 31-Sept. 3 at Wrigley Field before meeting again for three games in Milwaukee from Sept. 7-9.

During that grueling 17-day run, the Brewers encountered some criticism for their inability to acquire two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. The Brewers made a strong push to land Skubal, only to see the Detroit Tigers send him to the Dodgers instead.

Having NL Cy Young Award front-runner Jacob Misiorowski and Skubal fronting a starting rotation in a playoff series would have given the Brewers perhaps their best shot at making the postseason breakthrough that has eluded them during the franchise’s longest run of sustained success. The Brewers haven’t reached a World Series since 1982 and have never won it all.

Logan Henderson, an outstanding rookie pitcher the Brewers chose to keep rather than including in a trade last month, outdueled Skubal in Sunday’s series finale at Los Angeles. The 6-2 victory improved Henderson’s record to 7-2 with a 2.70 ERA.

The Brewers pivoted after the Skubal trade by acquiring former St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Dustin May, who is seeking to become the latest in a growing list of starting pitchers to improve after joining the Brewers. Left-hander Kyle Harrison, who also is thriving in his first year in Milwaukee, attributes that trend to Milwaukee’s pitching coaching staff of Chris Hook, Jim Henderson and Juan Sandoval.

“They’re so good at just knowing who you are as an individual and knowing what you need,” Harrison said. “Shoot, yeah, they’ve been doing it for a while now, too, so it’s pretty cool to have those guys you can trust and rely on.”

The Brewers believe they have the makings of a quality playoff rotation with Misiorowski, Henderson, Harrison and May. Milwaukee has withstood injuries that knocked two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff out for the season and prevented Quinn Priester from pitching at all this year.

Milwaukee’s lineup has produced the fewest homers in the big leagues, yet the Brewers remain among the top five teams in scoring. Bauers’ breakthrough season has helped the Brewers overcome down years from 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich and three-time All-Star William Contreras.

Without naming names, Murphy said: “I watch some of our leaders that might not be getting the results, but the way they handle everybody else is pretty impressive.” Murphy added that might be one of the keys to this team’s success.

Another is simply the ability to continue competing even when things aren’t going smoothly.

“Maybe that’s the secret,” Murphy said. “Maybe this team still plays well enough to be close when they’re not at their best.”

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Milwaukee Brewers' Jake Bauers is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy looks on during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)