ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays relieved some pressure, at least temporarily, with Sunday afternoon’s slump-busting 5-4 victory against the Houston Astros in front of 6,933 fans at Tropicana Field.
After being jump-started by a three-run homer from Austin Meadows in the fifth inning, the Rays avoided a sweep and broke a three-game losing streak — along with some of their offensive woes — as they head to the West Coast for a seven-game road trip with a tiny bit of momentum.
The Rays surged ahead 5-4 in the seventh inning — their first lead of the series — by going to the bench to produce a run.
After Meadows was plunked on the left wrist by Astros reliever Brooks Raley with one out, Rays manager Kevin Cash lifted Joey Wendle for pinch-hitter Yandy Diaz. It was a classic Diaz at-bat — 11 pitches, six foul balls (five straight), then a grounder deep down the third-base line. Diaz had the single, but Astros third baseman Alex Bregman bobbled it, threw it wide of first and that sent Meadows to third.
Then it was another pinch-hitter, right-handed hitting Manuel Margot (batting for Brandon Lowe), who punched the go-ahead single to rightfield.
The Rays’ bullpen closed it down. Margot, with his first play in the field, robbed a home run from Yordan Alvarez to begin the eighth inning. Alvarez’s twisting drive was pulled in by Margot, slighting leaning over the short fence in left field.
Right-hander Diego Castillo, the sixth Rays’ pitcher, allowed a two-out, two-strike double to pinch-hitter Jason Castro in the ninth. With the tying run aboard, Castillo then got Jose Altuve on a game-ending grounder.
Sunday’s game began like many of the others on the 4-6 homestand. Heading to the bottom of the fifth inning, the Rays trailed 3-0. They had gone 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position (making it 3-for-their-last 59 in that category).
Then the Rays awoke.
With Yoshi Tsutsugo drawing a leadoff walk, then Randy Arozarena getting hit by a pitch with two outs, Meadows had his opportunity. He made it count by launching a game-tying three-run homer, a blast of fresh air that prompted an almost audible exhale from the Rays dugout.
The Astros took a 4-3 lead on Myles Straw’s two-out RBI single in the sixth, but the Rays immediately got it back. Kevin Kiermaier smacked a one-out ground-rule double, then went to third on a wild pitch by reliever Bryan Abreu. The Astros played the infield in and Willy Adames hit an excuse-me check-swing bouncer to first baseman Yuli Gurriel who went to the plate for Kiermaier. But Gurriel’s wide throw was booted by catcher Martin Maldonado and Kiermaier slid in with the tying run.
After left-hander Rich Hill worked three scoreless innings, retiring early with 44 pitches because he’s coming off some side effects from his COVID-19 vaccination, the Astros built a 3-0 lead off right-hander Michael Wacha.
Alvarez had a fourth-inning solo homer, then Altuve (sacrifice fly) and Michael Brantley (single) collected fifth-inning RBIs.
