Wednesday, 4 a.m.
Funny game, baseball.
There are lows. There are highs. There is falling down. There is getting back up.
Ask Taylor Walls, if you want.
One night after Walls’ failure to lay down a bunt, he came back with a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in the winning run in a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros.
It was a turnaround game for the Rays and, in particular, for Walls. A game earlier, he was at the plate with the tying run at third and failed to get the bunt down. This time, it was the winning run (in the form of Christopher Morel). Walls lifted a fly into shallow left field, but it was deep enough to bring Morel home.
It was the fourth walk-off win of the year for the Rays.
Walls wasn’t the only hero for the Rays. Jonathan Aranda singled on a 2-2 pitch to drive in two runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game. Brandon Lowe hit an opposite-field double in the ninth to give the Rays runners on second and third with no one out.
The Rays had trailed most of the game, falling behind 2-0 on a home run by former Ray Isaac Paredes. The Rays woke up late for their 11th comeback win of the year.
The Rays had just six hits on the night.
Rays’ starter Zack Littell gave up five hits in his five innings. Reliever Manny Rodriguez got his first win of the year.
The Rays and Astros wind up their series today at 1:10 p.m. at Steinbrenner Field. Taj Bradley will start for the Rays against Hunter Brown.