Caminero shines with 2 homers in Rays’ 16-3 win over Astros

    0
    0

    In a dominant display, the Tampa Bay Rays overwhelmed the Houston Astros with a 16-3 triumph, highlighted by Junior Caminero’s impressive two home runs and Zack Littell’s first complete game.

    Littell, who has been on a winning streak, delivered his career-best performance, permitting 10 hits and three runs along with six strikeouts. With this performance, the Rays have enjoyed victories in each of Littell’s last seven starts, earning him a personal record of 5-0 during that period.

    Demonstrating his strength at bat, the 21-year-old Caminero set a personal milestone with four hits, driving in five runs. This comes shortly after his remarkable six-RBI game on Thursday, which contributed to another significant 13-3 win.

    Complementing Caminero’s efforts, Yandy Díaz, Jake Mangum, and Josh Lowe also homered, contributing to a season-best total of 18 hits, with the 16 runs scored equalling the Rays’ top scoring effort this season.

    Díaz got things started with a two-run homer in the third inning, and it was Caminero’s solo homer that edged the Rays forward to a 4-3 advantage at the outset of the fourth inning.

    Brandon Lowe extended his hitting streak to a personal best of 13 games in the sixth inning with an RBI double, enhancing the Rays’ lead. Caminero’s subsequent double further stretched their advantage to 7-3.

    Mangum, fresh off the injured list, hit a powerful homer to right-center, marking his career’s first, bumping the score to 9-3. Shortly thereafter, Josh Lowe’s two-run homer boosted the lead, bringing Tampa Bay’s tally to 11-3.

    Caminero rounded off the fireworks in the eighth inning with his second blast of the night, raising the score to 14-3, marking his inaugural multi-homer game.

    The Astros saw their standout effort from Jeremy Peña, who homered twice, though the team fell to a 1-2 record in this four-game series.

    During his time on the mound, Astros’ starter Colton Gordon gave up five hits and four runs over five innings, yet couldn’t prevent the heavy loss.

    A pivotal moment in the game came during the seventh inning, when Tampa Bay recorded a six-run burst, stretching the lead to a commanding 11-3.

    Significantly, this game marked the 12th consecutive game in which Tampa Bay restricted opponents to four or fewer runs, the longest streak for the team since a 16-game run concluding the 2021 season.

    Looking ahead, the Rays’ Taj Bradley (4-4, 4.38 ERA) is set to face RHP Hunter Brown (7-3, 2.00 ERA) as the series reaches its finale on Sunday.