ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Alex Bregman and Jeremy Peña homered, and the AL West-leading Houston Astros won their seventh consecutive game by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Yusel Kikuchi (6-9) allowed one run and three hits over 5 2/3 innings to go 2-0 in three starts with the Astros since being acquired from Toronto on July 29.
Josh Hader got three outs for his 26th save in 27 chances for the Astros, who increased their division lead to 1 1/2 games over Seattle. The Mariners lost 15-1 at Detroit.
“Just urgency, there’s fire,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “This a team that loves winning. They know how to win. They stay together. We fight through up and downs, and that’s the character and makeup of this team. It’s what makes this group so special.”
Hader has converted a franchise-record 26 consecutive saves.
Tampa Bay loaded the bases on two singles and a walk with one out in the eighth against struggling reliever Ryan Pressly. Brandon Lowe made it 3-2 on a one-hop fielder’s choice before Christopher More hit a grounder to end the inning. Pressly has allowed a run in four straight appearances.
“He’s good physically,” Espada said. “He got out of that inning. He’s making his pitches, and they’re putting some swings on pitches that he’s executing.”
Junior Caminero, the majors’ No. 2 prospect, was recalled from Triple-A Durham by the Rays and had an infield hit and struck out three times. The 21-year-old got his right leg tangled with catcher Victor Caratini on a first-inning foul at the plate and favored it again after a swinging strike three.
“I felt very good,” Caminero said through a translator. “I tried to keep my focus. I think that was the main important part.”
Caminero, who appeared in seven games with Tampa Bay last season, made a couple strong defensive plays at third base.
Tampa Bay (59-60) dropped under .500 after losing for the sixth time in eight games.
Bregman set a career high with a homer in his fourth consecutive game, a solo shot in the fifth. Peña’s solo drive off Shane Baz (0-2) put the Astros ahead 3-1. Bregman had three hits.
Baz gave up three runs and seven hits over a career-high seven innings in his seventh start since returning from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander hasn’t recorded a win since July 3, 2022.
The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the second due to the hustling of José Caballero, who turned a two-out ground single into a double when he saw left fielder Chas McCormick not charging in on the ball. Caballero then scored on a single by Josh Lowe.
“A little more urgency out of Chas,” Espada said.
Houston tied it at 1 on Yainer Diaz’s third-inning RBI single.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: RHP Justin Verlander (neck) will throw 70 to 75 pitches in his second minor league rehab start on Thursday, and could be back next week.
UP NEXT
Astros RHP Ronel Blanco (9-6, 3.02 ERA) will face Rays RHP Zack Littell (5-8, 4.11 ERA) on Wednesday night.
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