HOUSTON -- If there's one aspect of Mike Trout's game that isn't perfect, that warrants even the slightest bit of criticism, it's his throwing arm.Unless you watched Friday's game from Minute Maid Park.In the bottom of the second, when Astros first baseman Jesus Guzman dumped a one-out single to shallow center field with a runner on second, the Angels' superstar center fielder fielded it on a hop and fired a perfect throw home to gun down Marc Krauss in an eventual 11-1 victory. 
It was Trout's first outfield assist since September, 19, 2012. It came after a first-inning solo homer that traveled about 385 feet to left field and a second-inning, bases-loaded walk in which Trout saw four straight pitches way out of the zone. And it all set the tone in the Angels' first victory of 2014, which avoided what would've been only the third 0-4 start in franchise history.The Angels were coming off an ugly three-game home sweep at the hands of their up-and-coming division rivals, the Mariners, but got an early boost from Trout, five innings of one-run ball from Garrett Richards and 15 hits total -- three of which came from Josh Hamilton -- in the first of a four-game series.Hamilton, who posted a 1.191 OPS in Houston last season, walked in the first, hit singles to center in the third and fourth, then flicked his first home run of the season in the sixth, a three-run shot off former Angels right-hander Jerome Williams that pushed the Angels' lead to seven and put his batting average at .462.Astros righty Lucas Harrell had a 1.53 ERA in three career starts against the Angels, but gave up five early runs and lasted only three innings. The Angels went into the third inning 1-for-24 with runners in scoring position, then scored three times on opposite-field RBI doubles by Howie Kendrick and Chris Iannetta and a sacrifice fly by Erick Aybar.Richards, who gave up nine runs in 12 1/3 innings in his previous two starts against the Astros, got into trouble in the fifth, with a bases-loaded walk of Jose Altuve that put the Astros on the board and shrunk the Angels' lead to four. But on his 10th pitch to Krauss, his 35th pitch of the inning and his 100th and final pitch of the game, Richards spun a 2-2 breaking ball to freeze the Astros' left fielder, recording his seventh strikeout to end the threat.The Angels scored three runs in each of the next two frames to put it away, getting Hamilton's three-run homer in the sixth, then an Aybar RBI single -- the 900th hit of the shortstop's career -- and a two-run shot from Kole Calhoun in the seventh.Dating back to last season, the Angels have won six of their last seven at Minute Maid Park, while holding the Astros to a combined nine runs in the six wins.Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
It was Trout's first outfield assist since September, 19, 2012. It came after a first-inning solo homer that traveled about 385 feet to left field and a second-inning, bases-loaded walk in which Trout saw four straight pitches way out of the zone. And it all set the tone in the Angels' first victory of 2014, which avoided what would've been only the third 0-4 start in franchise history.The Angels were coming off an ugly three-game home sweep at the hands of their up-and-coming division rivals, the Mariners, but got an early boost from Trout, five innings of one-run ball from Garrett Richards and 15 hits total -- three of which came from Josh Hamilton -- in the first of a four-game series.Hamilton, who posted a 1.191 OPS in Houston last season, walked in the first, hit singles to center in the third and fourth, then flicked his first home run of the season in the sixth, a three-run shot off former Angels right-hander Jerome Williams that pushed the Angels' lead to seven and put his batting average at .462.Astros righty Lucas Harrell had a 1.53 ERA in three career starts against the Angels, but gave up five early runs and lasted only three innings. The Angels went into the third inning 1-for-24 with runners in scoring position, then scored three times on opposite-field RBI doubles by Howie Kendrick and Chris Iannetta and a sacrifice fly by Erick Aybar.Richards, who gave up nine runs in 12 1/3 innings in his previous two starts against the Astros, got into trouble in the fifth, with a bases-loaded walk of Jose Altuve that put the Astros on the board and shrunk the Angels' lead to four. But on his 10th pitch to Krauss, his 35th pitch of the inning and his 100th and final pitch of the game, Richards spun a 2-2 breaking ball to freeze the Astros' left fielder, recording his seventh strikeout to end the threat.The Angels scored three runs in each of the next two frames to put it away, getting Hamilton's three-run homer in the sixth, then an Aybar RBI single -- the 900th hit of the shortstop's career -- and a two-run shot from Kole Calhoun in the seventh.Dating back to last season, the Angels have won six of their last seven at Minute Maid Park, while holding the Astros to a combined nine runs in the six wins.Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
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