Tampa Bay Rays defeat Houston Astros 14-10 to grab series – MLB Update
The Tampa Bay Rays hit seven runs in the last two innings to snatch their third straight-win to clinch series sweep over the Houston Astros 14-10 in a high scoring three-game interleague series, at Minute Maid Park, on Sunday, June 26.
Both teams had a monstrous night with bat as they kept blistering runs on a regular basis throughout the game. The Rays’ Melvin B.J. Upton started the rally with a devastating 434-feet long three-run homer off the Astros’ starter James Anthony Happ in the
first inning to take a 3-0 lead. The Astros reduced it to 3-1 in the bottom of the first inning with the help of an RBI single by Carlos Lee.
They then tied the game to 3-all in the bottom of the second inning when Clint Barmes first allowed Brett Wallace to steal a RBI single then scored on a wild pitch by the Rays’ starter Jeff Niemann. Upton took a lead back to his club with an RBI single,
however Lee scored an RBI double to put the Astros into a leading position with 5-7 in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The game again tied, this time at five-all in the top of the fourth inning but the Astros’ Matt Bourn and Jeff Keppinger each made an RBI single in the bottom of this inning to confirm their club a 7-5 lead.
"After the fourth inning, I felt like we had already been through nine innings," Houston manager Brad Mills said. "I know it was a long game anyway, but it seemed like the fourth inning almost felt like the ninth."
The fifth remained the only inning in the game without any score. However, in the sixth inning, the Rays’ Evan Longoria launched the first of his two homers in the game and tied the score at 7-7. The Astros were not in a mood to denote the game as their
slugger Keppinger hammered a flat one-run homer to take it to 8-7.
However, the game went out of the Astros’ hands in the eighth inning when the Rays’ manager Joe Maddon took a good decision to send his position players as pinch hitter. His judgment worked as Matt Joyce and Casey Kotchman each made an RBI double and took
their club into a strong 11-8 position.
"If I have a chance to really think about it, it's pretty easy," Maddon said. "When everything is rushing through your head ... there are all these different thoughts."
Still struggling to snatch the game back, the Astros’ Matt Downs blistered a dazzling two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning and reduced the lead to 11-10 but all his hopes were dashed in the ninth. In this inning, Longoria entered the field with
an attitude to finish the game and knocked a devastating three-run homer to cement his club another series sweep in the season.
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