Rays vs Astros Recap: Rays Win 3-1 in Fourth of July Showdown

The Tampa Bay Rays rolled into Houston riding a nine-game winning streak, and they were hungry for more. The Astros came in struggling at 43-47, losing their last two games straight. These teams met at Minute Maid Park on Saturday, July 4th. The Rays had the bats ready. Nick Fortes stepped up in the sixth inning and smashed a 91-mile-per-hour sinker deep to left center field. The ball flew 391 feet and crashed over the wall. One run scored. Tampa Bay jumped ahead 1-0 early. The Astros answered back fast though. Yordan Alvarez, one of baseball's best hitters, came right up and crushed his own home run. A 93-mile-per-hour sinker sailed 427 feet to right center. The score tied 1-1. Both teams showed their power early.

The seventh inning changed everything. Junior Caminero stepped into the batter's box. At just 21 years old, this young star is one of the brightest talents in all of baseball. Caminero swung at an 82-mile-per-hour slider from Steven Okert. The ball rocketed off his bat and sailed left. It flew 374 feet and landed deep in the seats. Another home run. Tampa Bay grabbed the lead 2-1. The Astros had no answer in their half of the seventh. Silence filled the stadium. The Rays were in complete control now. Nick Martinez was pitching strong for Tampa Bay too. He struck out three batters and gave up just one run through five and a third innings. Houston's bats went quiet. The momentum had shifted completely to the visitors.

The eighth inning brought more drama and more Rays magic. Nick Fortes came up again with two outs. A pickoff error by Enyel De Los Santos put Taylor Walls on second base. Then Fortes ripped a double to center field. Walls raced home to score. Tampa Bay pushed their lead to 3-1. That was it. The Astros could not climb back. Bryan Baker came in and closed out the game for Tampa Bay. The final score read Tampa Bay 3, Houston 1. The Rays improved to 52-33 with their tenth win in eleven games. Houston dropped to 43-47 and fell further behind in their division. Tampa Bay's pitching depth and explosive young bats proved too much on Independence Day.