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 3-2ByThe Associated PressAugust 19, 2026, 11:24 PMHOUSTON -- 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.Popular ReadsBennett 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.___See AP's full MLB coverage here