Astros 5, Angels 2: Dallas Keuchel matched his season high with eight strikeouts over 8 2/3 innings and visiting Houston withstood a late rally by Los Angeles in the opener of their three-game series.

Keuchel (5-2) allowed five hits and one walk on 128 pitches as he came within one out of his second consecutive shutout. Mike Trout and Albert Pujols hit back-to-back singles in the ninth against Keuchel and scored on Howie Kendrick's two-out triple off Josh Zeid before C.J. Cron grounded out to end the game.

The Astros staked Keuchel to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, when Jose Altuve hit a leadoff double and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on pitcher Garrett Richards’ throwing error. Jason Castro and Matt Dominguez added RBI singles off Richards (4-1), who yielded five runs on 10 hits over seven frames en route to his first loss in nine starts.

Dexter Fowler added to Houston’s lead with an RBI single in the second, and the Astros moved ahead 5-0 in the fifth as Castro hit a leadoff double and scored on Chris Carter’s one-out single. Altuve extended his hitting streak to 11 games and turned in a pair of sharp defensive plays for Houston, which has recorded at least nine hits in nine straight contests.

Los Angeles, which lost for just the third time in its last 11 games, put two runners on with one out in the fourth before Keuchel induced Cron to ground into an inning-ending double play. Altuve, Castro and Dominguez had two hits apiece for the Astros, who have won three straight for the first time this season.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Houston SS Jonathan Villar missed the game with a bruised right thumb, but he’s expected to be available Tuesday. … The Angels’ Efren Navarro started in right field and went 0-for-3 in place of Collin Cowgill, who is listed as day-to-day with hip flexor tightness. … Pujols had two hits for Los Angeles, which was shut out for the second time in its last four games.