Rays Complete Sweep With 14-4 Rout of Astros

The Astros came to Tampa Bay hoping to salvage the finale of a miserable series. Instead, the Rays completed the sweep Sunday with a 14-4 rout at Tropicana Field.

Rays Bury Astros Early

Houston fell behind almost immediately. Yandy Díaz singled and Junior Caminero doubled in the first before Victor Mesa Jr. drove both home with a triple. Chandler Simpson’s RBI groundout made it 3-0 before the inning was over.

Things got considerably worse in the third. A Jeremy Peña fielding error allowed Tampa Bay’s fourth run to score, and Richie Palacios followed with a three-run homer that put the Rays ahead 7-0.

Hayden Wesneski lasted just three innings, allowing seven runs—three earned—on six hits and two walks. Enyel De Los Santos replaced him in the fourth, but Tampa Bay added two more runs before Ronel Blanco was summoned from the bullpen. The Rays eventually piled up 15 hits and four home runs.

Astros Offense Goes Quiet

Meanwhile, the Astros couldn’t manage a hit against Freddy Peralta. Houston loaded the bases with two outs in the third on walks to Christian Walker, Taylor Trammell, and Yordan Alvarez, but Isaac Paredes grounded out to end its best early opportunity. Peralta left after five hitless innings with Tampa Bay leading 11-0.

Paredes finally broke through against Brody Hopkins in the sixth, hitting a two-run homer after Nick Allen walked. With Tampa Bay leading 11-0, Houston began making substitutions, with Allen replacing Peña and Nelson Velázquez taking over for Alvarez.

Tampa Bay wasn’t finished. Yandy Díaz drove in another run in the seventh, and Jonathan Aranda hit his second homer of the game to make it 14-2. Allen and Velázquez answered with back-to-back solo homers in the eighth, but by then they were merely trimming the final margin.

Houston finished with only four hits and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The loss dropped the Astros to 75-75, back to .500 with just 12 games remaining in the regular season, and completed a three-game sweep by Tampa Bay.

Up Next

The Astros get a much-needed day off Monday before returning to Daikin Park on Tuesday to open their final six-game homestand of the regular season. Houston begins with a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals, with Hunter Brown facing Michael Wacha in the opener. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT.

Heading to Daikin Park soon? Check our complete Astros promotions schedule before your next game.