Walbert Ureña wins the war against Astros to even series

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Walbert Ureña has been one of the most surprising bright spots for the Los Angeles Angels this season and on Tuesday night he continued what's been a dominant run so far for the 22-year-old right hander. 

He went five innings without allowing a run while only giving up three hits, striking out seven Houston Astros in the process. It was his second scoreless start of the season and his eighth-straight start of allowing three runs-or-less.

"You go five shutout, it's positive no matter what," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. "I think for Ureña, he just keeps building… you've got to keep going start by start and competing."

Battling throughout the game

The only spot of concern for Ureña, something that's been a factor for him throughout the season, is his tendency to labor through his outings. 

He allowed five walks in the game and it took him 107 pitches to get through five innings. With the Angels bullpen worn thin as it is, having not just Ureña, but all of the Angels starters going deep into games would be a huge plus, but even with his elevated pitch count, Ureña proved himself in tight jams and stranded all nine runners that reached base against him. 

"He was competing out there tonight and obviously he didn't have his best command, but his desire to get through that game is what pulled him through," Suzuki said." You can't teach that."

Hot bats for Halos

It helped that the Angels got the offense going early to give Ureña the cushion he needed to battle it out on the mound comfortably. 

Los Angeles took advantage of Astros starter Kai-Wei Teng's control issues control issues and a fielding error by Jeremy Pena to score two runs out of a bases-loaded situation.

That was just the start, though. The Angels put together five hits, including back-to-back doubles by Wade Meckler and Jo Adell, and a walk to score five runs in the second inning and give Ureña a 7-0 lead to work with.

Paige Creason – The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Wade Meckler (53) hits the ball during the MLB game against the Houston Astros Tuesday June 9th, 2026 at Angel's Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.

"[We're] having great at-bats, passing the baton, putting the ball in play," Mike Trout, who went 1-4 with two runs scored and snapped a 0-22 streak at the plate, said. "I think that's the key, and not trying to do too much." 

As much insurance as Ureña had, though, he wasn't trying to rely on a cushion from his offense and still wanted to step onto the mound with his best stuff, which he didn't have on Tuesday.

Competitiveness from Ureña

That desire comes with his competitive nature, one that's so strong that his fellow pitcher José Soriano had to remind him to smile after a game in which he threw five scoreless innings.

"[I'm] just trying to [not] be that comfortable because I don't want to be like what I've been today," Ureña said. "But, it's good to get the offense… with a couple runs early."

When Ureña did relinquish the ball, he was relived by a line of Brett Suter, Drew Pomeranz and Kirby Yates, who combined to allow just one run on two hits. 

Not that they needed it, but the Angels added three runs in the bottom of the eighth to pad their lead 10-1 and take the game to even the series against their division rivals with the rubber match approaching Wednesday.