There might be a hotter team in Major League Baseball than the Houston Astros, but one would be hard-pressed to deny their recent success. Alex Bregman, who is hitting like a madman, and Jeremy Pena hit solo home runs as Houston beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Tuesday night.
With the win, the Astros are now 64-55 overall, nine games above .500. They also extended their American League West Division lead to 1 1/2 games over the Seattle Mariners. Detroit rocked Seattle 15-1.
Yusei Kikuchi Stays Hot For Houston Astros
Yusei Kikuchi posted his second win in three starts as part of the Astros’ pitching rotation. Kikuchi went 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and one run. Bryan Abreu came on in relief and held the Rays in check for 1 1/3 innings through the seventh.
But Ryan Pressly didn’t have as much luck. Pressly loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving up a run on Brandon Lowe’s fielder’s choice. But he was able to get out of it with the Houston Astros up 3-2. Josh Hader slammed the door in the ninth, notching his 26th save this season.
“Just urgency, there’s fire,” Astros manager Joe Espada said after the game. “This a team that loves winning. They know how to win. They stay together. We fight through up and downs, and that’s the character and makeup of this team. It’s what makes this group so special.”
Despite his recent troubles—allowing one run in four straight appearances—Espada spoke highly of Pressly’s effort on Tuesday night. “He’s good physically,” he said. “He got out of that inning. He’s making his pitches, and they’re putting some swings on pitches that he’s executing.”
Tampa Bay took an early 1-0 lead as Jose Caballero turned a two-out ground single into a double. Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick didn’t hustle on the play, making a lazy throw into the infield. Josh Lowe’s single scored Caballero. When asked about McCormick’s play, Espada said, “A little more urgency out of Chas.”
Yanier Diaz had an RBI single in the third inning, tying the game at 1-1.
Alex Bregman homered for the fourth straight game, a solo shot to left field off Rays starter Shane Baz (0-2). He had three hits in the game, scalding the baseball pretty much all the time these days. Bregman now has 18 home runs on the season. Pena hit a solo home run, his 10th this season, in the sixth to make it 3-1 Astros.
So, how good and wild are things going for the Houston Astros right now? Yordan Alvarez hit a tape-measure home run in batting practice. The baseball slammed into the right-field scoreboard, knocking it out of service. It didn’t work all night long, probably a sign of things to come for Tampa Bay.
This three-game series wraps up on Wednesday night at The Trop. Astros starter Ronel Blanco (9-6, 3.02 ERA) takes on fellow right-handed pitcher Zack Littell (5-8, 4.11 ERA) for the Rays.
With the loss, Tampa Bay falls to 59-60, The Associated Press reports. The Rays lost for the sixth time in eight games.
Houston’s pitching staff might be getting a not-so-new addition soon. Justin Verlander, who has been battling back from a neck injury, is slated for another minor-league rehabilitation start. This time, Verlander will be pitching for the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. Pitching coach Josh Miller will be looking for solid results from Verlander, who will be allowed to go between 70 and 75 pitches on Thursday.
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