Thursday, 4 a.m.
They scored, finally. They led, briefly.
Still, they lost. Again.
The Houston Astros had their way with the Tampa Bay Rays again Wednesday night, completing a dominating three-game sweep with a 5-2 victory.
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It was a particularly anemic series by the Rays, who were outscored 14-2. In the three games, they had just 15 hits, left 26 men on base and were one-for-20 with runners in scoring position.
Despite all of that, the Rays actually had a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning after Isaac Paredes hit his 20th home run. But reliever Brooks Raley gave up three hits and three runs in just an inning's worth of work.
“It just happened quick," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I thought Brooks has put together a really good year for us. Our bullpen has been so good and he’s been a part of it."
Kyle Tucker hit a two-run homer in the eighth and Martin Maldonado a solo shot in the ninth to separate the game.
The Rays start a four-game series against Toronto night at 6:40 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Neither team has announced a starting pitcher.