Verlander gets 1st win since May as Astros beat Angels 5-3

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Justin Verlander picked up his first win since returning from a neck injury and Yordan Alvarez hit a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning as the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 on Saturday night.

Kyle Tucker added a pinch-hit homer, Jose Altuve had two hits and two runs scored, and the Astros won their third straight to remain 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place Seattle in the AL West.

Tucker's home run was his first in seven games since returning from a shin fracture. He has yet to play the outfield in consecutive games since coming back Sept. 6.

“To have a guy like that on the bench, you'd rather have him on the field, but when you have him on the bench, you can't wait to throw him out there,” Astros manager Joe Espada said.

Verlander (4-6) gave up two runs and four hits over five innings after he was 0-4 with a 9.69 ERA in four starts since returning Aug. 21 following a 2 1/2-month absence due to neck stiffness. He had two walks and two strikeouts while earning his first win since May 24 against Oakland.

Ryan Pressly pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings for his fourth save.

Despite the win, the 41-year-old Verlander is still looking for more from his outings as October approaches.

“It's start to start at this point, trying to play catchup,” the three-time Cy Young Award winner said. “Unfortunately, before I got hurt, I got on a little bit of a good run there, kind of found my mechanics and then the neck injury, and I kind of lost it. Obviously, I lost a lot of time. I'm trying as quickly as I can to get back to that version where I'm tougher to hit than I am right now.”

Los Angeles starter Tyler Anderson (10-13) gave up four runs and seven hits over five innings. Eric Wagaman delivered the first hit and RBI of his career in his fifth game for the Angels on a double in the fourth.

“That's awesome; now he can relax a little bit,” manager Ron Washington said.

Wagaman began his major league career 0 for 9 with two strikeouts.

Altuve got the Astros going by leading off the game with a bunt single and stealing second base. He went to third on a groundout and scored on Anderson's wild pitch.

Verlander walked his first two batters before Nolan Schanuel gave the Angels their first run on an RBI single.

Houston's defense picked up Verlander from there, starting with a diving catch in center field from Jake Meyers. That began a run in which Verlander retired nine of the next 10 Angels batters.

Astros right fielder Ben Gamel slammed into the short wall in right field in the fourth to take away a potential RBI from Mickey Moniak, although Wagaman followed with his RBI double for a 2-1 Angels lead.

“There's been some starts now when the ball hasn't gone my way, so it was nice to have some of those (defensive plays)," Verlander said. “It felt great.”

Verlander is lined up for at least two more starts before the regular season ends and the Astros put together potential roles for the postseason.

“We'll evaluate this one over the next few days and just continually try to add brick by brick in the right direction,” Verlander said. “Continue to try to improve.”

The Astros moved in front in the fifth when Alvarez followed a leadoff single from Altuve with a home run to right field, his 34th. With two outs, Jeremy Peña singled, stole second and scored on Victor Caratini's single.

The Angels nearly tied it in the eighth but Schanuel was thrown out at home plate by Meyers while trying to score from second base on Logan O’Hoppe’s RBI single that cut Los Angeles' deficit to 4-3.

Tucker connected for his 20th homer in the ninth, his first since June 1 before a long injury layoff.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: Meyers appeared to injure his left leg while tracking down a flyball on the warning track from Wagaman in the ninth, but remained in the game after a visit from the athletic training staff. ... OF Chas McCormick is optimistic he can return from a broken right hand before the regular season ends Sept. 29.

Angels: RHP Carson Fulmer (elbow inflammation) is optimistic he can return to a bullpen role by Tuesday after spending the past two weeks on the injured list. ... Angels infielders Michael Stefanic (calf) and Brandon Drury (hamstring) were out of the lineup.

UP NEXT

Astros: RHP Ronel Blanco (10-6, 2.99 ERA) has not given up more than two earned runs in any of his last three road starts.

Angels: RHP Caden Dana (1-1, 9.00) lasted just one inning in his second career start last Sunday against the Rangers.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. Jose Altuve also scored. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez runs the bases after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. Jose Altuve also scored. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Angels' Taylor Ward (3) celebrates in the dugout after scoring off of a single hit by Nolan Schanuel during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Astros' Jose Altuve (27) scores off of a wild pitch from Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Astros' Jose Altuve singles on a bunt during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez runs the bases after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. Jose Altuve also scored. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. But the shootdown underlines just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become over the ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite U.S. and European military coalitions patrolling the area.

The U.S. military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, though the U.S. military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.

The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, Central Command said. On Dec. 15, Central Command acknowledged the Truman had entered the Mideast, but hadn't specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.

“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.

From the military's description, the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

It wasn't immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.

However, Central Command said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has given sailors just seconds to make decisions in the past.

Since the Truman's arrival, the U.S. has stepped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area. However, the presence of an American warship group may spark renewed attacks from the rebels, like what the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That deployment marked what the Navy described as its most intense combat since World War II.

On Saturday night and early Sunday, U.S. warplanes conducted airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen that the Houthis have held since 2014. Central Command described the strikes as targeting a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility,” without elaborating.

Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, without offering any casualty or damage information. In Sanaa, strikes appeared particularly targeted at a mountainside known to be home to military installations. The Houthis later acknowledged the aircraft being shot down in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023 after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage.

Israel’s grinding offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, local health officials say. The tally doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.

The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate U.S.- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis also have increasingly targeted Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) steams in the Mediterranean Sea, Dec. 15, 2025. (Kaitlin Young/U.S. Navy via AP)

FILE - Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is moored near Split, Croatia, Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)

FILE - A fighter jet maneuvers on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, June 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)