, who also yielded three unearned runs in the third, when shortstop Aledmys Diaz's throwing error paved the way for Tampa Bay. Diaz has two errors in two games filling in for injured regular Carlos Correa.Tommy Pham's RBI single trimmed Houston's lead to 2-1, and Ji-Man Choi followed with a two-run single to put the Rays ahead 3-2.Morton, who gave up a two-run double to Michael Brantley in the third, walked three and also hit a batter during an 85-pitch outing.Four relievers combined to pitch four scoreless innings for the Rays, with Jose Alvarado striking out Tony Kemp with two runners on in the ninth for his first save.It's not the first time Morton faced a former team in his first outing with a new one. He also did it in 2009 after being traded from the Atlanta Braves to the Pittsburgh Pirates.The right-hander went 29-10 with a 3.36 ERA in 55 starts for Houston over the past two seasons. He won Game 7 in both the ALCS and World Series in 2017 for the Astros and was a first-time All-Star a year ago, when he won 15 games and posted a career-best 3.13 ERA.Cole allowed five hits and four runs - one earned - while striking out 10 over six innings.TRAINER'S ROOMAstros: Correa missed his second straight game with neck stiffness and is not expected to play Saturday, either. ''I think we're getting to the point where he's going to have to do a full workout before he's ready to play,'' manager AJ Hinch said. ''Hopefully that's tomorrow, which makes Sunday more likely. I will wait a day too long rather than a day too short.'' Rays: Alvarado rolled an ankle while running but was able to walk back to the clubhouse after sitting on the warning track in right field for several minutes.UP NEXTAstros: RHP Collin McHugh (6-2, 1.99 ERA in 2018) will start the third game of the four-game series Saturday night. He's 1-4 with a 2.12 in seven career appearances against Tampa Bay, including five starts.Rays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (2-7, 4.27 ERA last season) faces Houston for the first time in his career. He made 11 starts for the Rays after being acquired from Pittsburgh last July, allowing one run or fewer in five of those outings.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Rays' Morton to face former team as Astros visit Tampa Bay right-hander Charlie Morton starts against his former team when the Rays host the Houston Astros on Friday night.Morton was 29-10 with a 3.36 ERA over the past two seasons with the Astros. He signed a two-year, $30 million contract with the Rays in December, and now he'll pitch against the team he helped win the 2017 World Series."It's a group of guys I care a lot about," Morton told the Tampa Bay Times. "It's an organization I was proud to be a part of. To pitch against them, yeah, I absolutely expect to feel some emotion. And I think that's normal when you're pitching against a group of guys who mean a lot to you and you respect a lot." Morton will be opposed by Houston right-hander Gerrit Cole in a game the at least one Astro hopes will be decided in the later innings after the starters have departed."I hope that both (Morton) and Gerrit go seven and don't give up a run," injured Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. told the Times. "I'm not happy he's over there, but it is what it is." Cole went 15-5 with a 2.88 ERA last season, his first with the Astros. He's 0-1 with 3.46 ERA in two career starts against the Rays.The 35-year-old Morton faced the Astros nine times before joining the team in 2017. He's 3-5 with a 5.96 ERA against them.Houston outfielder George Springer plans a unique approach against his former teammate."Having him on the other side will be tough, but knowing Chuck the way I do, it's going to be funny," Springer told the Houston Chronicle. "I'll make a face at him, I think, or do something just to have some fun with it." Springer helped the Astros open with a win Thursday when he hit a three-run homer off defending AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell in a 5-1 victory.Justin Verlander pitched seven strong innings, and Michael Brantley and Jose Altuve each had two hits, including a home run, for the defending American League West champion Astros.Verlander, the 2018 American League Cy Young Award runner-up, outpitched Snell. In his 11th Opening Day start, Verlander (1-0) allowed a run on three hits with nine strikeouts and a walk. He threw 102 pitches, 74 for strikes.Austin Meadows homered for the Rays and Tommy Pham had two hits.Snell (0-1) lasted six innings in his first Opening Day start, allowing five runs on six hits -- three of them home runs -- while walking two and striking out three.Snell has "really good secondary pitches and a good fastball," Houston manager A. J. Hinch told MLB.com. "We made him work, hunted some fastballs." Snell hadn't allowed five earned runs since last May 13 against Baltimore. That was also the only game last season in which he allowed three homers."I have to adjust a lot quicker than I did. It took a couple of innings, and it shouldn't have taken that long," Snell told MLB.com. "I'm just looking forward to (his next start against) Colorado and getting ready for them, personally. But this team, we'll be ready (Friday)." --Field Level Media
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