By The Tampa Bay Rays continue to show why they own the best record in the American League.
On a night when runs were difficult to come by, the Rays relied on dominant pitching, timely hitting and another shutdown performance from their bullpen to defeat the Houston Astros 3-1 Friday night at Daikin Park.
The victory extended Tampa Bay’s winning streak to nine games, the longest active streak in Major League Baseball, and improved the club to 52-33 on the season.
For the first five innings, the game developed into a classic pitchers’ duel between Tampa Bay veteran Nick Martinez and Houston right-hander Spencer Arrighetti. Both starters attacked the strike zone and kept opposing hitters off balance, combining to allow just three hits through five scoreless innings.
Martinez continued his impressive season by limiting the Astros to one run on three hits over 5 1/3 innings while striking out three. He retired the first 10 batters he faced before allowing a fourth-inning single and appeared poised for another scoreless outing until Yordan Alvarez stepped to the plate in the sixth.
Alvarez, the American League’s home run leader, broke the scoreless tie by launching a 427-foot solo homer to right-center field, his 27th of the season, giving Houston a brief 1-0 advantage.
But the Rays answered immediately.
Leading off the top of the sixth inning, catcher Nick Fortes drove an Arrighetti offering over the left-field wall to even the score at 1-1.
The home run extended Tampa Bay’s streak to eight consecutive games with at least one homer and erased Houston’s momentum almost as quickly as it had arrived.
Arrighetti completed six strong innings, and then Astros manager Joe Espada turned to left-hander Steven Okert.
Junior Caminero, who entered the series fresh off being named the American League Player of the Month for June, wasted little time. The 22-year-old crushed a solo home run to left field to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead.
Fortes delivered again in the eighth inning. After Taylor Walls stole third base with two outs, Fortes lined an RBI double to center field, scoring Walls for an insurance run that pushed the Rays’ lead to 3-1. Fortes finished 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and two RBIs, accounting for two of Tampa Bay’s three runs.
Once Martinez exited, Tampa Bay’s bullpen slammed the door.
Kevin Kelly retired all five batters he faced to earn the victory and improve to 5-3. Casey Legumina followed with a perfect eighth inning before Bryan Baker worked a flawless ninth to record his 23rd save of the season.
Together, the trio retired all 11 Astros hitters they faced, preserving another stellar effort from one of baseball’s most reliable.
While the Rays’ streak of nine consecutive games scoring at least four runs came to an end, their winning streak did not.
Instead, the Rays demonstrated another dimension of their success, proving they can win just as comfortably behind elite pitching and timely execution as they can with an explosive offense.
As the club continues its road trip, the confidence and the victories keep mounting
