The Houston Astros relied on their powerful offense to win 12 straight games.
On Tuesday night that offense went cold
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The Astros went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position to come up one victory shy of setting the franchise record for longest winning streak in
franchise history. After averaging more than seven runs in their last 12 games,
Houston managed just five singles to end a stretch of 34 straight games with at
least one extra-base hit.
C.J. Cron homered early and Wilson Ramos hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning to lift the Rays to the victory.
Blake Snell (9-4) allowed just three hits and one run in seven innings, but had to pitch around a career-high seven walks for his fifth straight win. Sergio
Romo pitched for the third straight game, taking over with one out in the ninth
and allowing one hit for his third save a night after blowing the save in
Houston’s 5-4 win.
”We didn’t hit enough and we were shut down by a pretty good pitcher,” manager A.J. Hinch said. ”We kept putting up pretty decent at-bats, but that big
hit just eluded us again. We kept fighting until the end but just didn’t have
enough offense.”
Matt Duffy doubled to start the eighth and advanced to third on a groundout by Jake Bauers. The Rays took a 2-1 lead when the single by Ramos sailed just
over the head of a leaping Yuli Gurriel and into left field to allow Duffy to
score.
Cron snapped a career-long 0 for 23 slump with a solo homer with one out in the second inning to give Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead. It was the first hit since June
12 for Cron, who struck out 18 times during his hitless streak.
The Rays have struggled to win close games this season and had lost seven of their last eight games decided by one run before Tuesday’s win.
”Things kind of went our way
Youth Christian Djoos Jersey ,” manager Kevin Cash said. ”It’s amazing how those pop up in all those games but it’s nice to pull one out where there
wasn’t any mistakes. The walks are the only thing that you’d like to have back
but you’ll take the performance.”
Justin Verlander yielded six hits and one run while fanning 10 in 6 2/3 innings.
”It was a pretty good day for me, but it was a pretty good day for the other guy, too,” Verlander said. ”Classic pitchers’ duel. I wish we could’ve come out
on top, but … it happens.”
Hector Rondon (1-2) took the loss by allowing two hits and one run in one inning.
The Astros had plenty of opportunities to score, but came up short again and again. They loaded the bases with one out in the first inning, but Carlos Gomez
caught a fly ball hit by Evan Gattis and his throw home was in time to leave
George Springer out at home to end the inning.
Springer was on second base with one out in the third inning when Bregman singled to send him home and tie it at 1-1. Bregman tried to stretch the hit
into a double
Authentic Taylor Hall Jersey , but Gomez made a perfect throw from right field to leave him out at second.
Snell struck out the side in the fourth, capped by a three-pitch strikeout of Marwin Gonzalez that led to his ejection. Gonzalez argued with home plate umpire
Pat Hoberg before throwing his bat and helmet and being tossed. He kept barking
at Hoberg after the ejection and continued yelling at him until third base coach
Gary Pettis pulled him away and pushed him toward the dugout.
Snell walked Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa with no outs in the sixth. But Gurriel grounded into a double play and Snell retired Tony Kemp after
intentionally walking Gattis to leave Houston empty-handed.
Adeiny Hechavarria doubled with two outs in the seventh inning to chase Verlander. Hector Rondon took over and retired Kevin Kiermaier to end the
inning. Kiermaier went 0 for 5 in his return after sitting out since April 15
after tearing a ligament in his right thumb which required surgery.
The Astros had a runner on first base with two outs in the seventh when Springer hit a long fly ball to right-center that Kiermaier nabbed as he leapt
on the warning track before crashing into the wall of the bullpen.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: RHP Joe Smith (right elbow inflammation) felt good after playing catch on Tuesday but likely won’t return from the disabled list until Houston’s
next homestand, which begins on July 5.
TOP OF THE HEAP
Houston second baseman Jose Altuve led all players in fan voting for the All-Star game with 1,572,101 votes in the second update on voting released on
Tuesday. The 2017 AL MVP leads the majors in hits (102) and average (.342) and
was the first player to reach 100 hits this season.
”I think it’s well-deserved for someone who represents our game in exceptional fashion,” Hinch said. ”The voters are getting it right. He’s every
bit what’s right about baseball. I’m happy he’s getting the recognition he
deserves … he’s as perfect of a player as there is.”
UP NEXT
Tampa Bay’s Nathan Eovaldi (8-4, 2.58 ERA) opposes Houston’s Charlie Morton (8-1
Viktor Arvidsson Jersey , 2.94) in the series finale on Wednesday night. Eovaldi, who grew up in suburban Houston, is 1-0 with a 2.52 ERA in four career
starts against the Astros. Morton struck out nine in six innings of a win over
Kansas City in his last start.
—
The NFL said Thursday it will investigate whether the Oakland Raiders violated the ”Rooney Rule” when they hired Jon Gruden as coach.
The Fritz Pollard Alliance called for the investigation on Wednesday out of concern that Raiders owner Mark Davis came to an agreement with Gruden before
the team interviewed any minority candidates as required by the NFL since
2003.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that the NFL will ”look into this.”
The Fritz Pollard Alliance is dedicated to promoting diversity and equality of job opportunity in the coaching, front office and scouting staffs of NFL
teams.
Davis said Tuesday at the news conference introducing Gruden as the team’s new coach that he had been trying to make the move for six years and finally
believed it would happen after a meeting in Philadelphia on Christmas Eve, the
day before Gruden worked a game between the Raiders and Eagles on ESPN.
”I felt pretty confident that he was all-in,” Davis said. ”And that’s the term that we were using in our discussions and everything, are you all-in? And I
never wavered from all-in. And this time he didn’t waver
Mark Giordano Jersey , either.”
Davis fired Jack Del Rio a week later and the team officially hired Gruden on Jan. 6. Davis also said he wouldn’t have fired Del Rio if he didn’t believe
Gruden would sign on as coach.
”I believe that I would’ve sat down with Jack and we would’ve figured out coordinators and assistant coaches and things like that and try to figure out
how to reinvigorate the franchise through Jack,” he said.
Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said Tuesday he interviewed two minority candidates before Gruden’s hiring was announced. Those candidates were
Oakland tight ends coach Bobby Johnson and Southern California offensive
coordinator Tee Martin.
The Raiders haven’t commented on the request from the Fritz Pollard Alliance.
—
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