Rays' bats go quiet again in shutout loss to Astros

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Jun 1, 2025

Published in Baseball

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Maybe the Rays need to find some middle ground.

Thursday, they scored 13 runs and rapped 14 hits to beat the Astros to open a four-game series. Friday, they were held to three hits and one run and got walked off.

Saturday, they piled up 16 runs and a season-high 18 hits, including five home runs as part of a franchise-record-tying 12 extra-base hits, in a big win.

Then Sunday, they managed just two hits and went down meekly, shut out, 1-0, in splitting the series.

The loss, just the third in their last 12 games, dropped the Rays to 30-29.

Rays starter Taj Bradley had a dazzling seven-inning outing, giving up just an unearned run in an odd first inning; he faced five Astros batters, and each swung at the first pitch.

Jeremy Pena hit a grounder to third that Junior Caminero misplayed for a two-base error. After ex-Ray Isaac Paredes popped out and Jose Altuve grounded out, Christian Walker singled to left to score Pena. Yainer Diaz then lined out.

Houston starter Hunter Brown had a lot to do with the Rays’ quiet day, holding them hitless into the sixth, when Josh Lowe singled with one out. Jonathan Aranda got their other hit, leading off the seventh with a double off reliever Bryan King, but the Rays couldn’t score then either.

The Rays also had five walks, going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.

Bradley was dominant through the seventh inning, allowing three hits, walking two and striking out 10, one shy of his career high.

Brandon Lowe went 0 for 4, snapping his career-high 13-game hitting streak that was the longest active such streak in the majors.

Taylor Walls got ejected objecting to a strike call during a ninth-inning at-bat.