The Houston Astros pounded out 15 hits Friday night, including four each from Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa, and Alex Bregman hot a two-run homer as the Houston Astros beat up the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2 to open their weekend series at Tropicana Field Friday.
Houston put up five of their nine runs in the first four innings against Rays starter Ryan Yarbrough. The Astros struck in the first, as Correa’s first hit on the night, a single, drove in Brantley, whose one-out single started the output.
Bregman’s two-run homer in the third stretch the deficit to 3-0, and an RBI groundout by Aledmys Diaz plated Yordan Alvarez to make it a 4-0 contest.
Brantley’s third hit of the evening came in the fourth inning, and brought in Martin Maldonado to make it 5-0.
Despite the deficit, Yarbrough would make it through six innings Friday, though he took the loss to drop to 1-3 on the year.
Diaz would drive in a run in the seventh off reliever Trevor Richards ona single, and add two more in the ninth off Louis Head with a double. He’d score on a sacrifice fly by Myles Straw.
Tampa Bay’s only runs came in the ninth inning, as Andre Scrubb loaded the bases and Willy Adames, who had been 0 for his previous 25 plate appearances and hadn’t had a hit since April 20, lined a two-out, two-run single.
The Rays will turn to Josh Fleming (1-2, 1.23 ERA) to try and even the series. Houston will counter with Jose Urquidy (1-2, 4.67 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 4:10.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
