Astros let lead slip late in tough loss to Rays

Astros Jose Altuve, sad.
The Rays beat the Astros, 3-2. Photo by David Berding/Getty Images.

Taylor Walls hit a game-ending sacrifice fly and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to beat the Houston Astros 3-2 on Tuesday night.

The Rays trailed 2-0 until Jonathan Aranda's two-run single in the eighth inning tied the score.

Christian Morel then led off the ninth with a walk against Kaleb Ort (1-1) and advanced to third on pinch-hitter Brandon Lowe's double to left-center. After Josh Lowe popped out, Walls hit a fly ball to drive in Morel to give the Rays their 12th win in 30 games at Steinbrenner Field, their temporary home this season.

Manuel Rodriguez (1-2) pitched a scoreless ninth to get the win.

Astros left-hander Brandon Walter, making his first major league start, pitched five strong innings in his Houston debut.

Jake Meyers hit an RBI double in the second for the Astros, and Isaac Paredes had a solo homer in the third against his former team to make it 2-0.

Rays starter Zach Littell allowed two runs and seven hits in five innings. He struck out six.

Key moment

With the Rays trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the eighth, with one out and runners on first and second, Kameron Misner and Jose Caballero pulled off a double steal to set up Aranda's tying single to right field.

Key stat

Starting for the first time after making nine relief appearances for Bostohn in 2023, Walter gave up three hits and struck out five.

Up next

Astros RHP Hunter Brown (6–2, 1.43 ERA) goes against Rays RHP Taj Bradley (3–3, 4.80 ERA) in the series finale on Wednesday.

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Astros turn to reinforcements as they eye another key win

Chas McCormick gets another start in Game 2. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros will aim to lock up a series victory Tuesday night as they face the Tampa Bay Rays in the second game of a three-game set. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.

Houston (25–22) took the opener 4–3 on Monday and has now won five of its last ten games, continuing a recent surge that has pulled them back above .500 and into second place in the AL West. Tampa Bay (21–26) sits fourth in the AL East and has struggled to find consistency, especially at home where they are now just 11–18.

The Astros will turn to left-hander Brandon Walter, who is set to make his season debut. Walter, a depth option from the Astros' system, gets the nod with the club working through recent rotation injuries.

The Rays counter with right-hander Zack Littell (3–5, 4.31 ERA), who has been solid but not dominant across his first nine starts. He’s struck out 32 batters in 54.1 innings with a strong 1.12 WHIP.

Team trends

Houston holds the AL’s fifth-best team on-base percentage (.318) and has gone 6–4 over its last 10 games, posting a .252 batting average and a 3.78 team ERA in that span. Tampa Bay is 5–5 over its last 10, hitting .236 while their pitching staff has combined for a 4.34 ERA.

Players to watch

  • Jake Meyers continues to provide timely power for Houston, while Isaac Paredes has been one of Houston's steadiest hitters, going 11-for-37 with three home runs over his last 10 games.
  • Jonathan Aranda leads the Rays with a .309 batting average and has been a consistent bat in the middle of their lineup.
  • Chandler Simpson, a recent spark plug for Tampa, is hitting .364 over his last 10 games.

Betting line

According to BetMGM, the Astros are slight road favorites at -114, with the Rays at -105. The over/under is set at 9.5 runs, signaling expectations for a potentially high-scoring matchup.

With the series opener in their pocket and Walter making his first appearance of the year, the Astros will look to keep momentum rolling in Tampa and inch closer to the top of the AL West standings.

Here's a look at Tuesday's night's lineup:

Yainer Diaz gets the night off, with Victor Caratini catching Walter in his big league debut. Chas McCormick is in the lineup again playing left field, and Zach Dezenzo gets the nod in the DH spot.

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