One night after clinching a playoff spot, the Tampa Bay Rays went right back to work.
The Houston Astros did not waste much time to test whether Tampa Bay had moved past the previous night’s celebration.
Ian Seymour struck out Jeremy Peña to begin the game before former Ray Isaac Paredes sent a solo home run into left-center field for a 1-0 Astros lead. Jose Altuve walked, and Yainer Diaz followed with a single, putting two more runners aboard with only one out.
Seymour had seen enough.
Daulton Varsho went down on a foul tip, and Christian Walker struck out swinging, beginning a stretch in which Houston’s lineup struggled to do much of anything against the Rays left-hander.
Seymour retired the side in order in the second, struck out Peña and Paredes during a clean third and worked another clean inning in the fourth. He then turned the fifth into his most dominant inning of the night, striking out Cam Smith, Taylor Trammell and Christian Vázquez in succession.
By then, Tampa Bay’s offense was finally ready to give him something to work with.
Junior Caminero’s first-inning single was the only offense the Rays could generate through the first four innings against Peter Lambert. Victor Mesa Jr. changed that by leading off the fifth with a single, and Chandler Simpson followed with a liner into center that sent Mesa to third. Cedric Mullins dropped a sacrifice bunt that moved Simpson to second, giving Palacios two runners in scoring position with one out. Palacios took advantage, lining a single into center to score both Mesa and Simpson.
Just like that, a 1-0 deficit became a 2-1 lead.
Palacios was caught stealing for the second out, keeping the lead from growing any larger, and that extra insurance would have helped as the game progressed.
Seymour retired the first two Astros in the sixth before Altuve doubled to left, giving the Astros their first baserunner since the first inning. Diaz followed with a ground-ball single, bringing Altuve home and tying the game 2-2.
Seymour recovered by getting Varsho to ground out, finishing his night after allowing two runs while striking out 10 Houston hitters throughout the evening.
Tyler Wells kept the score tied in the seventh, working around a two-out walk to Trammell and striking out Vázquez to end the inning.
That gave the Rays another chance to move back in front.
Liam Hicks led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and was replaced by pinch-runner Kenny Piper. Mesa walked before a Simpson groundball got him out at second while advancing Piper to third.
The Rays then went to the bench.
Nick Madrigal pinch-hit for Mullins and lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Piper for a 3-2 lead. Jonny DeLuca followed with a pinch-hit infield single in place of Palacios and stole second, but Tampa Bay left runners at second and third on a Jorge Mateo line drive that found Cam Smith’s glove in right field.
One run would have to be enough.
Ty Johnson walked Peña to begin the eighth before retiring Paredes and striking out Altuve. Bryan Baker entered with two outs and immediately had to work for the final out after Diaz singled to put runners at the corners. He successfully got Varsho struck out swinging, preserving the lead.
Tampa Bay had a chance to make the ninth a little more comfortable after loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but Simpson grounded out to Astros pitcher Bryan King.
So Baker came back out for the ninth with the same one-run margin and save number 40 for the season on the line.
He did not make it complicated.
Walker grounded out to Caminero at third. Smith popped out to Jorge Mateo. Trammell then lined a ball to right that looked like it had a chance to get out but instead landed at the wall, where Mesa made the catch to finish the 3-2 victory and give Baker save No. 40.
The Rays will look for the series sweep when these two teams face off again Sunday at 1:40 pm. Freddy Peralta is scheduled to start for Tampa Bay opposite Hayden Wesneski from the Astros.
