 took over for starter Ryan Yarbrough and walked Yuli Gurriel with no outs. Diaz then doubled on a line drive to left field and Gurriel slid into home just in front of the tag to tie it up again.There was one out in the inning and runners on first and second when Springer knocked a ball into shallow center field. Second baseman Eric Sogard sprinted and dived to try and grab it but it dropped just past him to allow a run to score and Houston to take a 5-4 lead.''We played good defense and we were forced to answer a few blows by them and credit to them for those blows,'' Cole said. ''When you play good teams you're not going to be able to be perfect, especially when they put good swings on good pitches. So for us to answer back and to keep the pressure on as we get deeper into the game is what we need to do.'' Jose Altuve then grounded into a force out that left Springer out at second. But Sogard, who struck out four times Wednesday, threw the ball into the Astros dugout for an error while trying to turn a double play, sending another run home.Alex Bregman had three hits and an RBI and Gurriel hit a two-run homer which tied it in the fourth. The Astros tacked on two more runs in the eighth on an RBI single by Martin Maldonado and a bases-loaded walk.Cole allowed six hits and four runs in 6 1/3 innings, but did not factor into the decision.''He throws every pitch with intensity,'' Hinch said. ''I think it's too generic to say he's really focused now early but he comes out and sets a tone that is close to second to none.'' He struck out 14 to tie a season high and set a franchise record with his 15th double-digit strikeout game this season, besting J. R. Richard who had 14 such games in both 1978 and 1979.Will Harris (4-1) struck out three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. Roberto Osuna allowed a two-run homer to Willy Adames with one out in the ninth to cut the lead to 2, but retired the next two batters to end the game.Yarbrough yielded four hits and three runs in six innings.''I thought his game plan was really, really good,'' manager Kevin Cash said. ''You don't make that lineup go quiet for five and six innings like he did without having some good stuff. Mixing and changing speeds and he did that again tonight.'' Cleanup hitter Ji-Man Choi hit a two-run homer, but the top three batters in Tampa Bay's lineup went 1 for 12 with 10 strikeouts as the Rays lost their fourth in a row.Cole walked Choi to start to start the second and he advanced to second base on a balk. He took third on a wild pitch before the Rays took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly with one out by Wendle.Choi's homer to the bullpen in right-center came with one out in the fourth to make it 3-0.Houston cut the lead to 2 in the fourth on an RBI single by Bregman. Gurriel's home run came with two outs in the inning to tie it at 3-all.TRAINER'S ROOMRays: CF Kevin Kiermaier was out of the lineup for a second straight game with rib pain after being injured on Sunday. The Rays hope he can return on Thursday.Astros: RHP Brad Peacock was placed on the injured list with right shoulder soreness on Wednesday. Hinch said he doesn't think the problem is serious but wanted to give him time to rest and get over it in hopes of having him healthy as the regular season winds down and the playoffs approach.UP NEXTRHP Zack Greinke (14-4, 2.83 ERA) will start for Houston in the series finale on Thursday. Greinke is 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA in four starts since a trade from the Diamondbacks on July 31. The Rays have not announced a starter.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Alvarez, Astros hope to keep hammering RaysFLMHouston Astros rookie Yordan Alvarez showcased enough raw power to the pull side over his first 59 games that few invested too much thought on the possibility of him slugging the opposite way to left field.However, when Alvarez bashed his 20th home run on the season Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays, the ball traveling a modest 329 feet to the Crawford Boxes in left, it opened up a world of possibility for both Alvarez and the Astros.Later in the Astros' 15-1 victory, Alvarez pulled his 21st long ball of the year, and he will look to add to that total as the series continues Wednesday.Alvarez entered the series with a batted-ball pull percentage of 42.7 percent, above the league average of 36.4 percent. Most of the damage Alvarez has wrought this season has been to right field, including a 474-foot shot that serves as the longest home run hit by an Astros player in 2019.His blast to left off Rays right-hander Andrew Kittredge in the fifth inning served notice of his approach when right field isn't available."If he starts doing that on some pitches when they backdoor him or if he wants to commit to hitting the ball the other way in certain situations, that's a dangerous hitter getting even more dangerous using the smallest part of the ballpark and being that productive," Astros manager A. J. Hinch said.Houston right-hander Gerrit Cole (15-5, 2.75 ERA) will start the middle game of the three-game set Wednesday.The American League Pitcher of the Month for June and July, Cole enters his final start of August 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 0.600 WHIP this month. He is 11-0 with a 1.84 ERA over his past 15 starts, having last lost May 22 against the Chicago White Sox.Cole is 0-2 with a 2.84 ERA over three career starts against the Rays, including a 4-1 loss on March 29 when he allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits with 10 strikeouts over six innings in St. Petersburg, Fla.Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (11-3, 3.29) gets the starting nod for the Rays. He is 6-0 with a 1.48 ERA over his past 12 appearances (four starts), surrendering a .465 OPS with 59 strikeouts against just four walks over 61 innings.Yarbrough has started each of his past three outings, going 1-0 with a 0.47 ERA, 23 strikeouts and no walks over 19 1/3 innings. Yarbrough has made one appearance against the Astros previously, saddled with a 1-0 loss in relief on June 28, 2018, after allowing one run on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.The Rays are hopeful that Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier will return to the lineup Wednesday.Kiermaier sustained a rib injury Sunday in Baltimore, and he sat out Tuesday, with the Rays asking right fielder Avisail Garcia to slide over and fill the void.Entering Tuesday, Garcia had logged just four games (three starts) in center for Tampa Bay."I don't think it's a thing he's done a ton, but he's totally comfortable doing it," Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Garcia manning center. "This is a pretty unique outfield (in Houston). It's a big outfield that's got some gaps that are unique, a unique stadium. But he's played so good defensively wherever we've asked him. I feel totally comfortable with him." Garcia would up recording an outfield assist in the Tuesday defeat.--Field Level Media
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