Astros let lead slip late in tough loss to Rays
RAYS EVEN THE SERIES
21 May
RAYS EVEN THE SERIES
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 keeps raking!!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/pEZCtLHHjQ
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 20, 2025
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.
Paredes with a solo shot!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/POW8Pj6wgZ
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 20, 2025
Rays starter Zach Littell allowed two runs and seven hits in five innings. He struck out six.
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.
Starting for the first time after making nine relief appearances for Bostohn in 2023, Walter gave up three hits and struck out five.
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.
The Houston Astros are in the middle of a midseason surge that’s turned heads across the American League, but don’t let the win streak distract from one key truth: they’re doing this with less.
So what’s powering the Astros’ recent run? It starts with elite pitching. Despite an offense that's been merely middle-of-the-pack — 14th in OPS, 20th in runs scored, and 17th in slugging — Houston ranks fifth in team ERA and leads the majors in batting average against (.218). That’s how they’re winning series while missing key pieces of their core.
Still, there’s more to this run than numbers. Is the resilience we’re seeing tangible evidence of the Astros’ winning culture? Absolutely — especially lately. Rookie Cam Smith is the latest example. He delivered the first walk-off hit of his career over the weekend and looks like he belongs in the big leagues. Meanwhile, the lineup has caught fire over the last week hitting:
And all of this has come without one of Houston’s top two hitters being unavailable for the Twins series, Isaac Paredes, who remains sidelined with a sore hamstring.
With 71 games in the books, the conversation around second-year manager Joe Espada is beginning to shift — from quiet confidence to serious consideration for AL Manager of the Year. The case is strong. Espada has navigated a bruised and bruising season that’s seen Yordan Alvarez miss extended time with a fractured bone in his hand and three key starting pitchers (Spencer Arrighetti, Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco) land on the shelf — two of them for the year.
So, what would it take for Astros owner Jim Crane to give GM Dana Brown the green light to aggressively pursue help at the deadline? History suggests pitching would be the priority. But with young arms like Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto, and Brandon Walter stepping up, a move may not feel necessary, especially if it means exceeding the luxury tax threshold.
The Astros might be banged up, but they’re thriving and proving they don’t need to be at full strength to play like contenders.
There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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