HOUSTON (Interstat) — Josh Lowe’s three-run homer in his second game with Los Angeles broke a tie in the second inning, Mike Trout homered for the second straight day to start the season for the first time in his career and the Angels defeated the Houston Astros 6-2 on Friday night at Daikin Park.

The Angels, who opened the season with a 3-0 win on Thursday, improved to 2-0. The Astros fell to 0-2.

With the score tied 1-1 in the second, Yoán Moncada walked and Jo Adell singled off Houston starter Mike Burrows. Lowe, acquired from Tampa Bay in a January trade, then sent Burrows’ first pitch into the left field Crawford Boxes for a 4-1 lead. Lowe, who was 0-for-4 in the opener, finished 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.

Trout extended the lead to 5-1 in the fifth with a solo shot to left field, marking the first time in his 16-year career he has homered in each of his first two games of a season. He went 3-for-4 with a walk. Zach Neto added a solo homer in the ninth for the Angels’ final run.

Houston’s runs came on a first-inning RBI single by Carlos Correa that scored Jose Altuve, and a solo homer by Yordan Alvarez in the fifth.

The Angels’ early offense was enough for a bullpen game. Starter Yusei Kikuchi went 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits with three strikeouts. Ryan Zeferjahn (1-0) followed with two perfect innings of relief, striking out two, to earn the win. Sam Bachman and Jordan Romano each pitched a scoreless inning, with Romano striking out two in the ninth.

The Angels’ bullpen combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out seven.

Burrows (0-1) took the loss for Houston, surrendering four runs on five hits over four innings. He walked one and struck out three. Astros reliever Steven Okert provided a bright spot with 1 2/3 perfect innings, striking out three.

The most important sequence of the game occurred in the bottom of the second, immediately after Lowe’s homer had given the Angels a 4-1 lead. The Astros threatened to answer, putting runners on second and third with one out after a double by Brice Matthews and a single by Jeremy Peña. With the heart of the order looming, Kikuchi induced a groundout from Yordan Alvarez to end the inning, snuffing out Houston’s best chance to immediately counterpunch and preserving the three-run cushion.

Los Angeles grounded into two double plays, but out-hit Houston 11-8. The Angels’ pitchers threw 61 balls and 18 strikes, while the Astros’ staff threw 59 balls and 24 strikes.

The game, played in front of 30,788 fans, lasted 2 hours, 57 minutes.

The result defied pregame projections. Interstat’s ELO system gave Houston a 65.3% probability to win, and its game simulator projected a 1-0 Angels victory. The Astros were installed as 1.5-run favorites, and the total score of eight went over the over/under line of 8.5.

The teams continue their four-game series Saturday.