Baseball

Yusei Kikuchi Allows Just One Run on Three Hits in 5 2/3 Innings; Astros Beat Rays 3-2

AP Photo/Chris O’Meara
Houston Astros’ Yusei Kikuchi, of Japan, shown in this slow shutter speed photo, pitches to the Tampa Bay Rays during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Reuters

11:46 JST, August 14, 2024

Sizzling Houston hitter Alex Bregman drilled a go-ahead homer, Yusei Kikuchi stifled Tampa Bay for the second time in two weeks and the Astros won their seventh consecutive game, edging the Rays 3-2 on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Bregman went 3-for-5 with the long ball, a double and two runs. He homered for the fourth game in a row and ran his hitting streak to eight games, in which he is 16-for-37 (.432).

Kikuchi, who struck out 11 Rays on Aug. 2 in his Astros debut, allowed just one run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings on Tuesday. The left-hander fanned five without issuing a walk.

Kikuchi (6-9) won for the second time in three starts with Houston after being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on July 29.

Jeremy Pena (solo homer) and Yainer Diaz each had two hits and an RBI for the Astros.

Rays starter Shane Baz (0-2) threw a career-high seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, including two homers. The right-hander struck out six and walked two.

Third baseman Junior Caminero, one of the majors’ top prospects, went 1-for-4 and fanned three times in his 2024 debut for the Rays, who managed only five hits.

With two outs and the bases empty in the Tampa Bay second, Jose Caballero roped a hit to left, a ball that normally would be a single. However, left fielder Chas McCormick casually went for the ball, and the speedy Caballero easily beat a lobbed throw in to second for a double. Josh Lowe followed with an RBI single to center for a 1-0 lead.

Baz ran into trouble in the third after recording two outs right away. Bregman doubled, and Baz walked Yordan Alvarez before Diaz stroked a run-scoring single to even it at 1-all.

In the fifth, Bregman launched his 19th homer with two outs, a 376-foot shot to left for a 2-1 lead.

Pena added a solo shot with one out in the sixth, driving a 408-foot blast to left-center for his 11th home run.

After the Rays loaded the bases with one out in the eighth against Ryan Pressly, Brandon Lowe delivered an RBI groundout in an 11-pitch at-bat before Christopher Morel hit an inning-ending grounder to shortstop.

Houston closer Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth with a strikeout for his 26th consecutive save and his 26th overall this season.