Yu Darvish, left, was removed after losing his perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Houston Astros. His next opponent is the Angels. (Associated Press)

On an off-day for the Angels, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros created a compelling night of action in the American League West on Tuesday.

In case you missed it, Yu Darvish retired 26 straight Astros to start the game before allowing a single to Marwin Gonzalez in the bottom of the ninth inning. No longer are the Houston Astros completely anonymous. As the New York Daily News proclaimed, “YU BLEW IT.”

The pertinent question for the Halos: Are the Astros that bad, or is Darvish that good?

The right-hander joined a list that includes Dave Stieb, Mike Mussina and eight pitchers you might not have heard of who have lost perfect games in the ninth inning. Anyone can do it, even Armando Galarraga.

Ken Rosenthal and Mark Mulder blamed the Astros. Jean-Jacques Taylor and Bo Porter credited Darvish. Alan Ashby, the Astros’ color commentator, reacted with racial overtones (I think).

The Angels will find out soon enough whether Darvish’s stuff is for real. If he pitches on regular rest, he’ll face the Angels (and Jered Weaver) on Sunday in Arlington. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. national broadcast on ESPN2.

Some bullet points for a Wednesday morning:

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