The Houston Astros secured a 2‑0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, snapping the visitors’ nine‑game winning streak.
Christian Walker launched his 20th home run of the season, extending his streak of five consecutive 20‑homer seasons, while Isaac Paredes opened the sixth inning with his 12th homer. Yordan Alvarez, who had hit two homers the previous night, went 0‑for‑4 in this contest.
Pitching Highlights
Starter Peter Lambert delivered 5 ⅔ innings of six‑strikeout work, allowing just three hits and keeping the Rays off the board.
Mason Englert’s earlier outing, in which he yielded just two runs and five hits while fanning nine over 5 ⅔ innings, exemplified the rotation’s depth.
Relief efforts were equally tight; Steven Okert retired the side in the seventh, Bryan King escaped a leadoff single in the eighth, and Josh Hader closed the game with his ninth save of the season.
Cam Booser and Craig Kimbrel combined to keep the Astros quiet for 2 ⅓ innings, underscoring the depth of Houston’s bullpen.
The win also moved the Astros’ upcoming schedule into focus, with Mike Burrows slated to start against Nationals' Miles Mikolas on Monday in Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, the Rays will look to rebound as Griffin Jax takes the mound against the New York Yankees on Monday in Tampa Bay, facing Cam Schlittler.