Alex Bregman and Jeremy Peña both hit home runs, leading the AL West-leading Houston Astros to their seventh straight win with a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.
Yusel Kikuchi (6-9) pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up one run and three hits, and improved to 2-0 in three starts since joining the Astros from Toronto on July 29.
Josh Hader earned his 26th save in 27 attempts, helping the Astros extend their division lead to 1 1/2 games over Seattle, which lost 15-1 to Detroit.
Astros manager Joe Espada praised his team’s determination, saying, “Just urgency, there’s fire. This a team that loves winning. They know how to win. They stay together. We fight through ups and downs, and that’s the character and makeup of this team. It’s what makes this group so special.”
Hader has set a franchise record with 26 consecutive saves.
In the eighth inning, the Rays loaded the bases with two singles and a walk against struggling reliever Ryan Pressly.
Brandon Lowe’s one-hop fielder’s choice made it 3-2, but Christopher More grounded out to end the inning. Pressly has given up a run in four straight appearances.
Espada said, “He’s good physically. He got out of that inning. He’s making his pitches, and they’re putting some swings on pitches that he’s executing.”
Junior Caminero, the No. 2 prospect in the majors, was called up from Triple-A Durham by the Rays. He got an infield hit and struck out three times. Caminero tangled his right leg with catcher Victor Caratini on a foul ball in the first inning and appeared to favor it again after a strikeout.
“I felt very good,” Caminero said through a translator. “I tried to keep my focus. I think that was the main important part.”
Caminero, who played in seven games with Tampa Bay last season, made some strong defensive plays at third base.
Tampa Bay (59-60) fell below .500 with their sixth loss in eight games.
Bregman hit his fourth consecutive home run, a solo shot in the fifth inning, setting a career high. Peña’s solo homer off Shane Baz (0-2) put the Astros ahead 3-1. Bregman had three hits in the game.
