ASTROS DEFEAT RAYS
Dubón comes through in the clutch, Astros beat Rays 2-1 in extras
Aug 14, 2024, 9:45 pm
Astros defeat the Rays 2-1. Composite Getty Image.
Mauricio Dubón drove in the go-ahead run with a 10th-inning single, closer Josh Hader worked two scoreless innings and the AL West-leading Houston Astros won their season-high eighth straight game by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Pedro León advanced from second to third on Jeremy Peña's fly to deep center off Garrett Cleavinger (7-3) starting the 10th. Zach Dezenzo struck out, Jake Meyers and Dubón got Houston's second hit of the game. The Rays also had two hits.
“We got the sweep,” Dubón said. “It was a battle, though. But it felt pretty good.”
Hader (5-6) struck out three as Houston ended an 8-1 trip. The Astros (65-55) extended their division lead to 2 1/2 games over Seattle, which lost 3-2 in 10 innings at Detroit.
“A heck of a road trip,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “We took care of business.”
Tampa Bay has lost seven of nine and dropped to 59-61.
“We got to find a way, we’re not scoring runs,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Score runs two ways. Either getting a lot of hits or getting timely hits. None of that is coming for us right now.”
Tampa Bay has scored two or fewer runs in nine of its last 13 games.
Houston was hitless until Peña homered for the second straight game, leading off the fifth against Zack Littell.
Littell departed after five innings and 68 pitches due to season workload. The right-hander, who retired his first 11 batters, struck three and walked two.
Astros starter Ronel Blanco scattered two hits and struck out four in six scoreless innings. He is winless in six starts.
Blanco's last batter, Brandon Lowe, hit an 106.5 mph liner that the right-hander deflected with his glove and resulted in a sore left index finger.
“He came in sore, lost some feel to it,” Espada said. “He did get some X-rays; came out negative. He's good to go.”
Bryan Abreu walked Taylor Walls, who is hitting .171, starting the eighth. Walls was running on the pitch, preventing a double play on Jose Siri's grounder. Walls stole third and scored with a head-first slide on Yandy Díaz's grounder.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: RHP Justin Verlander (neck) will make his second and likely final minor league rehab start Thursday night with Double-A Corpus Christi. … OF Kyle Tucker (bruised right shin) hit in a cage and played catch. “Slow progress, but he’s tending in the right direction,” manager Joe Espada said. … RHP Luis García (Tommy John surgery) has not resumed throwing after having a setback.
UP NEXT
Astros: RHP Spencer Arrighetti (5-10, 5.14 ERA) and Chicago White Sox LHP Garrett Crochet (6-9, 3.65 ERA) are Friday night’s scheduled starters.
Rays: Ryan Pepiot (6-5, 3.92 ERA) will make his first start since July 14 on Friday night against Arizona. The right-hander has been out with a right knee infection that is thought to have resulted from a spider bite. “A little bump in the road,” Pepiot said. “Very unorthodox thing happened, but kind of scary at the same time. Just happy to be back.” RHP Ryne Nelson (8-6, 4.51 ERA) starts for the Diamindbacks.
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.