And why not? The 22-year-old Trout, viewed by some as baseball's best player, was about to rejoin the
Batting second as the Angels' designated hitter against the
Trout later hit a double into left field in the fifth inning to drive in
But Trout's bat proved not nearly enough as Houston used a four-run eighth inning to win, 8-5, at
The Angels limped home having lost seven of the 10 games on their trip to Seattle, Oakland and Houston, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the Athletics.
The Angels are now 31-28 and tied with Seattle for second place in the
But the Angels, while acknowledging frustration with the trip's results, said they were ready to bounce back.
"It's June, we're not really stressing about it," said
"I think when we come home we're going to be a rejuvenated, new team and we're going to go out there and keep playing relaxed," Skaggs said.
The heart of the Angels' order struggled against Houston starter
"We definitely didn't swing the bats to our capabilities and we didn't pitch the way we can" during the trip, Manager
"But this team's still going to get better as we move on and hopefully we'll pick it up tomorrow," he said.
Trout had an opportunity to inflict more damage against Houston in the ninth inning. With the score 8-5 and two runners on base, Trout represented the tying run. But he struck out against Astros closer Chad Qualls.
Pujols then popped out for the final out of the game.
Trout returned to the lineup after an MRI exam on Wednesday showed inflammation but no damage in his back.
Trout, Scioscia and the Angels' training staff jointly decided he would be the designated hitter Thursday night to avoid putting undue stress on his back.
"The MRI was huge, knowing that it wasn't too serious as long as I didn't re-strain it," Trout said before the game. And after the game, Trout said, "Feels good, no pain, nothing. I should be back in center [field] tomorrow."