How's this for an encore? Javier K's career-high 14

HOUSTON -- Any thoughts Cristian Javier had about being a part of a second consecutive no-hitter went up in smoke Friday night when Shohei Ohtani took him deep with two outs in the first inning. That was as good as it got for the Angels against Javier, who turned in his second consecutive dominant performance.

With growing confidence and a deceptive four-seam fastball that generated 18 of his career-high 23 swings and misses, Javier struck out a career-high 14 batters and allowed one hit in seven innings to lead the Astros to an 8-1 win over the Angels at Minute Maid Park. The Astros have opened up a 12 1/2-game lead in the American League West, which is the biggest lead of any division.

Javier, who struck out 13 batters in seven no-hit innings in Houston’s combined no-hitter Saturday at Yankee Stadium, has struck out 27 batters and allowed one hit in his last two starts (14 innings). It’s the most strikeouts with one or fewer hits allowed by any pitcher in a two-game span in the modern era (since 1900).

“I feel very happy with the job that I was able to do and also very thankful for what God has done for me and my family here,” Javier said. “This wasn’t something I expected, to have 14 strikeouts in a game.”

When Javier walked off the mound after striking out Jared Walsh for his 14th punchout, he got a standing ovation and briefly acknowledged the crowd. That’s about as much emotion as the stoic Javier has shown on the mound.

“Definitely a very special moment for me, very happy moment,” he said.

What’s more, Javier became the fourth pitcher in franchise history to strike out 13 or more batters in consecutive games (Gerrit Cole was the last to do it in 2019). He’s struck out at least two batters in 12 consecutive innings and has whiffed 27 of the 45 batters he’s faced in his two most recent starts.

“He was throwing the ball up, and then he would throw a low-and-away fastball and had good tempo going,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “When you have outings like that back to back, your confidence grows, and he did it against some quality teams.”

Javier’s gem just continued the Astros’ terrific run of starting pitching. In the team’s last 11 games, Astros starters are 9-0 with a 1.51 ERA with 31 hits and 19 walks allowed and 72 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings during that span.

Javier had great command and control at the top of the zone with his four-seam fastball, a pitch that accounted for 11 of his 14 punchouts. It’s a pitch that hitters have a hard time seeing because of its rising action, and it’s the pitch that got him to the big leagues.

Ohtani took him deep on an 81.2 mph slider in the first inning, which was the Angels’ only hit until a bloop single by Luis Rengifo in the eighth off reliever Bryan Abreu.

“Obviously, the swing and miss was pretty pertinent tonight,” Angels acting manager Ray Montgomery said. “[Javier] was riding the ball at the top of the zone. I mean, he's coming off a pretty good start, if I recall, and he's in a pretty good stretch right now. Their staff, they throw innings, so when you go against them, you know it's going to be a battle."

Astros catcher Martín Maldonado said the Astros didn’t know what to expect when Javier made his debut in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season -- a year after he was named the Astros’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He wound up pitching in the World Series a year later and is now solidifying his spot in Houston’s dominant rotation.

“The ability to throw any pitch in any count,” Maldonado said when asked what sets Javier apart. “You guys see how he made a mistake with Ohtani and he hit a homer, and [Javier] just goes out there and keeps executing pitches. That’s really hard for a young guy to do, and he keeps doing it.”

The Astros are close to getting veteran right-hander Jake Odorizzi off the injured list, likely next week, so a starter may have to be moved out of the rotation. Javier has been the pitcher who’s bounced between the bullpen and the rotation the last two seasons, but there’s no way Houston can move him back to the bullpen now.

“We’ll deal with that when it gets here,” Baker said. “There could be room for both, especially with the stretch we’re in now [13 games without an off-day].”