Mason Englert got the call to start this one after Houston roughed up the Rays' pitching staff in Saturday's slugfest, and Peter Lambert took the ball for the Astros looking to build off a run of good form.
Lambert has been quietly one of the better stories in Houston's rotation, going 4-1 over his last 7 starts even while dealing with a beat-up staff that's missing Lance McCullers Jr. and Ronel Blanco. Englert, meanwhile, was a corresponding move up from Triple-A Durham, thrown into a spot start with his role beyond Sunday still unclear.
Jeremy Pena remains out for Houston as he works through a rehab assignment, and Carlos Correa is done for the year after ankle surgery, so this Astros infield has had to piece things together all series. Tampa Bay, for its part, is still missing Steven Matz and Ryan Pepiot from the rotation, which is exactly why a reliever-turned-starter like Englert was needed in the first place.
The Rays rolled into this series winners of 9 straight, the longest streak in the AL, after steamrolling Kansas City and taking the opener here Friday. Then Yordan Alvarez happened. His two-homer, six-RBI, walk-off night on the 4th snapped that streak and flipped the series' momentum right back to Houston, and the Astros carried it into Sunday.
That carryover showed up immediately. Houston scratched across single runs in the 4th and 6th, and that was more than enough given what Englert and the Rays' bullpen were dealing with. Tampa Bay's lineup, which had been raking for a week and a half, went cold at the worst time.
- 10-Day-ILJake Fraley RF — Fraley (hernia) began a rehab assignment with the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Saturday, going 0-for-3 as the designated hitter.
- 15-Day-ILJesse Scholtens RP — Scholtens (wrist) completed a 20-pitch bullpen session June 8 but is without a clear target date for a return, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILSteven Matz SP — The Rays placed Matz on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a left ankle sprain.
- 60-Day-ILEdwin Uceta RP — Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Uceta (shoulder) will resume his throwing program sometime around June 29, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 60-Day-ILManuel Rodriguez RP — Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Rodriguez (elbow) will begin throwing live batting practice June 30, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 60-Day-ILGavin Lux LF — Lux (shoulder) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment June 29, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 60-Day-ILJonathan Heasley RP — Heasley was returned to the major-league roster and placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow stress reaction.
- 60-Day-ILSteven Wilson RP — The Rays hope Wilson (back) will be able to start bullpen sessions June 8, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayRaynel Delgado 2B — The Astros recalled Delgado from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJeremy Pena SS — Pena (calf) is expected to play in minor-league rehab games this week and could come off the injured list for the final series before the All-Star break against the Rangers next weekend, rome reports.
- 10-Day-ILBraden Shewmake SS — Shewmake (adductor) has gone 3-for-9 with two doubles, three walks, one stolen base, three runs and one RBI over three rehab games between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and Triple-A Sugar Land.
- 15-Day-ILLance McCullers Jr. SP — McCullers (shoulder) struck out three and allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk across four innings Wednesday in a rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land.
- 15-Day-ILKai-Wei Teng RP — The Astros rescinded Teng's option and placed him on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right knee sprain, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILBennett Sousa RP — Sousa (elbow) will throw a simulated game at Daikin Park on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRonel Blanco SP — Blanco (elbow) struck out four and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk across 4.1 innings Wednesday in a rehab start with Double-A Corpus Christi.
- 60-Day-ILHayden Wesneski SP — Wesneski (elbow) began a rehab assignment at the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Tuesday, tossing three scoreless innings with one strikeout.
The final was as ugly as it gets for a team that had been steamrolling the league: 2 runs, 4 hits, 2 errors, and a shutout loss to close the set. Houston's pitching staff, which had been gashed for 8 runs less than 24 hours earlier, flipped the script completely and made sure Tampa Bay left Daikin Park with a split instead of a sweep.
For a Rays team that's still 8 games clear of .500 in the loss column, one flat Sunday doesn't change the big picture. But for an Astros club fighting to stay relevant in a crowded AL, salvaging a series against the best record in baseball is exactly the kind of stretch they needed.