Snell struck out 10 Ryan Allen Jersey , reliever Diego Castillo fanned Jose Altuve in a key spot and the Rays wrapped up an impressive homestand by beating the Houston Astros 3-2 Sunday.
The Rays went 8-1 at Tropicana Field, taking three of four from the World Series champion Astros, sweeping three from the New York Yankees and winning both games against Washington. Tampa Bay set a team record by allowing no more than two runs in its sixth straight game.
”Everybody’s doing their part,” Snell said.
Snell tied Hall of Famer Walter Johnson (1914) with his 11th consecutive home start allowing one or fewer earned runs for the longest stretch in the AL since 1913, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
”He’s pitched like an All-Star,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. ”We knew we had a chance to have a special series and really special homestand, and I think he capped it off.”
Matt Duffy hit a two-out, two-run single in the seventh inning that put the Rays ahead 2-1 and Mallex Smith homered in the eighth.
Evan Gattis homered twice for Houston. The Astros went 0 for 14 during the series with runners in scoring position.
”We didn’t do enough to win the game or win the series.” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.
Snell (11-4) allowed one run and four hits in 7 1/3 innings. The lefty has given up five earned runs over 51 2/3 innings (0.87 ERA) at home this season.
Castillo replaced Snell with the bases loaded in the eighth with the Rays leading by a run. Castillo struck out Altuve in a 10-pitch at-bat and got a grounder from Yuli Gurriel to protect the lead.
Sergio Romo got his eighth save despite allowing Gattis’ homer in the ninth.
Charlie Morton (10-2) struck out 11 in 6 2/3 innings. The Astros led 1-0 when he left with runners at first and second, and Duffy greeted Chris Devenski with a bloop single down the right-field line. Joey Wendle scored from first base when right fielder Josh Reddick hesitated before throwing the ball back to the infield.
”I just kind of froze,” Reddick said. ”There’s no excuse for screwing that up. I’ve got to get the ball in, and even if I throw it home early, we’re still playing the ball game right now.”
Gattis, who had eight homers and 30 RBIs in June, put the Astros up 1-0 on his seventh-inning drive.
Jake Marisnick had a potential run-scoring extra-base hit tracked down in deep center by Smith with two outs in the fifth.
Smith’s homer was his first since last July 21 Josh Sitton Jersey , ending a 356 at-bat drought.
”I’m not worried about hitting home runs,” the speedy Smith said with a smile. ”I like to steal bases. Can’t steal bases when you hit homers.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: Gurriel returned after three days on the paternity list. . Reliever Joe Smith (right elbow soreness) could be back Tuesday.
Rays: CF Kevin Kiermaier was rested after making two diving catches Saturday. He dropped to 0 for 9, including eight strikeouts, against Morton by going down swinging as a pinch-hitter in the seventh.
SORE SPRINGER
Astros RF George Springer was out of the lineup for the second time in three days after tumbling into the stands chasing a foul ball Saturday. Hinch said Springer is ”beat up a little bit.” Springer, mired in a 3-for-44 slide, was a pinch-runner in the ninth.
DEADLINE DEALS
The Rays could move veteran players like RHPs Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Archer, and C Wilson Ramos before the non-waiver trade deadline. Also attracting interest is Tampa Bay’s bullpen. ”I imagine our front office will do what they always do, and that’s look to do what’s best for the organization going forward,” Cash said.
The Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals are among the teams with scouts in attendance recently.
UP NEXT
Astros: LHP Dallas Keuchel (4-8) will go against Texas RHP Austin Bibens-Dirx (1-1) Tuesday night.
Rays: Eovaldi (2-3) faces Miami LHP Wei-Yin Chen (2-5) Monday night.
Drop into just about any bank or supermarket or sports bar in the Kansas City metro area these days and there’s a good chance you’ll see one of several photographs from just a few years ago hanging on a wall.It might be Yordano Ventura unleashing a fastball. Or Eric Hosmer sliding into home at Citi Field in New York. Or Wade Davis with his arms thrust high into the air, his blazing fastball having just closed out Game 5 of the World Series and making the Kansas City Royals the world champions.
More than likely, you’ll find the now-iconic photograph of Union Station, where an estimated 400,000 people turned out to celebrate the club’s first title in three decades.
Those photos are reminders of better times. And how quickly things can change.
The Royals, who were indeed baseball royalty in 2015 Logan Thomas Jersey , are now neck and neck with the Orioles for the worst record in baseball. They’ve traded off their star closer, their best players are struggling and the prospects that might one day raise them from the abyss are years away from joining the club.
”The record is what it is. The hitting is what it is. The pitching is what it is,” said Royals manager Ned Yost, who presided over the rebuild that led to back-to-back World Series appearances. ”I have to continue to lead. We have to make sure this year has not been a waste.”
How did things fall apart so quickly?
To start, the Royals doled out big contracts to players that have not produced. Left fielder Alex Gordon consumes 14 percent of the payroll in the third year of a $72 million, four-year deal, but he’s hitting just .247 with five homers and 15 RBIs. Right-hander Ian Kennedy consumes 11 percent of the payroll in the third year of a $70 million, five-year deal, and he’s 1-8 with a 5.11 ERA.
The few stars that remain on the roster have likewise struggled to produce.
Salvador Perez likely will see his streak of five straight All-Star games end. The catcher, in the third year of a $52 million, six-year deal, is hitting .255 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs.
Good luck winning many games that way.
The Royals were 25-61 heading into their off day Thursday and had lost 24 of their last 28 games. They needed to go 38-38 the rest of the way just to avoid the ignominy of 100 losses.
Making things worse: The Royals are losing that many games with a payroll of about $144 million.
Another reason for the precipitous slide was year after year of poor drafts. Only one of their 13 first-round picks since 2010 is currently on the 25-man roster; Hunter Dozier is hitting .223 in 44 games as he struggles to lock down an everyday job.
”As a young guy you know you’re going to fail, and in some ways we want you to fail because that’s how you’re going to get better,” said Yost Marlon Humphrey Jersey , who is going through the same slow learning process with infielder and erstwhile top prospect Adalberto Mondesi.
The son of longtime big leaguer Raul Mondesi, he is hitting .214 in 42 at-bats this season.
”We also don’t want to heap too much on their shoulders,” Yost said, ”so it’s balancing act.”
Maybe that’s why the Royals have been slow to gut their roster in favor of a complete rebuild, even if that appears to be coming. They’ve already traded utility outfielder Jon Jay to the Diamondbacks and star closer Kelvin Herrera to the Nationals, getting five prospects in return that the Royals hope will help restock a farm system that remains one of the worst in baseball.
More moves could be coming, too. The Royals are hopeful of trading third baseman Mike Moustakas, who signed a one-year deal when no long-term offers materialized last offseason. Versatile infielder Whit Merrifield could land a few solid prospects, and left-hander Danny Duffy and even Perez could be made available, though both have torpedoed their value with poor seasons.
The combination of an old and bad team has been made even worse by the fact that the Royals are, well, pretty boring. They don’t hit an abundance of homers. Their starting rotation includes the first two pitchers to hit 10 losses in the majors. There are no young stars yet worth watching.
As a result, the Royals are drawing an average of 20,283 fans to Kauffman Stadium. That’s a drop of more than 7 Joe Montana Jersey ,000 from last season and more than 13,000 from their championship season.
Still, for all the gloom, the typically irascible Yost has taken a decidedly optimistic approach to this season. He’s been through these long and painful rebuilds and come out the other side.
It takes patience. It takes smart moves. It takes more patience.
”There’s a lot of things to look at that you’re happy with, even though the record is what it is,” he said. ”There is progress that you’re going to see on the back end, in the light, just as we did in 2013 and 2014, when we turned the corner the last time.”
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