HOUSTON — Having reached their final two significant goals Wednesday by breaking the franchise record for wins and clinching the top playoff seed in the American League, the Rays didn’t have much to lose in Thursday’s 3-2 defeat, though Wander Franco’s on-base streak ended at 43 games.
The Astros, however, had a lot to win, as the victory clinched the AL West title and a first-round division series matchup against the Central champion White Sox.
The East champion Rays not only don’t know yet who they will play in the other division series, but which of the four competing teams will end up in Tuesday’s wild-card game for the right to face them in the series that starts Oct. 7 at Tropicana Field.
But they will have something to say about it, as the Rays head next to New York, where the Yankees sit atop the wild-card race but have not yet clinched a spot. The Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mariners are all still competing.
The opportunity to knock out their rabid rivals would certainly be enjoyable for the Rays — as well as beneficial, since the Yankees are the most talented of the contending teams — though several players insisted the experience of the intense games and loud crowds will be the big benefit.
“There’s going to be pressure on them,” Rays veteran centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier said. “You get a team rival like us and the history — we haven’t played them in a while — and I’m just looking forward to a fun-filled, playoff-atmosphere weekend to really get our juices flowing before the real thing starts.
“... They’re going to throw their absolute best at us. Every move possible, their lineup, their pitching, they’re going to do everything. It’s going to be Game 7 to them the whole weekend. I love that atmosphere, and it feels good to be in the driver’s seat when you’re talking about our situation compared to theirs. It’s going to be a heck of a weekend.”
Astros starter Lance McCullers, the Tampa native and Jesuit High standout, was dominant early, retiring the first nine batters.
The Rays didn’t get a runner on base until the fourth inning, when Brandon Lowe led off with a walk. They didn’t get a hit until the sixth, when Ji-Man Choi led off with a single. And they didn’t get on the board until three batters later, when Lowe went deep for the second straight night, delivering his team lead-extending 36th homer.
The Rays were battling out of a 3-0 hole as Ryan Yarbrough — following Collin McHugh’s one-inning open — allowed a single to Yuli Gurriel to open the fourth, a walk to Tampa’s Kyle Tucker, and a three-run homer to Carlos Correa.
