HOUSTON -- As Evan Longoria stood at third base after a triple in the third inning following his first-inning homer, Houston's Alex Bregman suggested that he might be on his way to hitting for the cycle after getting the two toughest hits early in the game.
Tampa Bay's third baseman shrugged him off with "there's a long way to go" and went about his business.
It turns out Bregman was right, as Longoria became the second Tampa Bay player to hit for the cycle on a night he drove in three runs to lead the Rays over the Astros 6-4 on Tuesday.
"I guess he predicted it," Longoria said with a grin.
He was a double shy when he came to the plate with two outs in the ninth and laced a laser to left field. Longoria dashed to second base and slid in to avoid the tag of Jose Altuve.
He was initially ruled out, but the call was overturned after a crew chief review. Most of the Rays stood up behind the railing of the dugout and cheered as the call was reversed, and Longoria flashed a big smile knowing that he joined Melvin (then known as B.J.) Upton as the only Rays to achieve the feat.
"When I hit it I just put my head down and was running as hard as I could," Longoria said. "I actually thought the ball went to the wall. But I felt like I was safe initially and I was just hoping that the review showed that."
Manager Kevin Cash joked that Longoria looked less like a 31-year-old who has dealt with plantar fasciitis this season and more like Tampa's speedy 24-year-old outfielder Mallex Smith, who leads the team with 16 stolen bases, as he rounded first base.
"That's a pretty special day in his career," Cash said. "That's pretty awesome to be a part of that and watch that. It was impressive how he hit first base. Looked like Mallex running around."
Logan Morrison hit a solo homer and finished with two RBIs as the Rays bounced back after losing Monday's opener 14-7.
Lucas Duda singled with one out in the first before Longoria launched his towering homer, which banged on train tracks atop left field, off Mike Fiers (7-6) to make it 2-0. Morrison's 27th homer came next to make it 3-0.
Rays starter Chris Archer (8-6) allowed six hits, four runs and struck out five in 6-plus innings to get his first win since July 4 and improve to 5-2 in eight career starts against the Astros.
"He had a pretty big cushion at the beginning, which makes it tough," Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. "We battled. We had some pretty good at-bats, hit some balls hard. Chased him at the end but he's good."
Alex Colome pitched a perfect ninth for his 31st save.
Duda doubled with one out in the third before scoring on Longoria's first triple of the season to push the lead to 4-0. Longoria then scored on a two-out single by Adeiny Hechavarria.
Archer had allowed just one hit when Carlos Beltran sent a 96 mph fastball into the seats in right field with one out in the fifth to cut the lead to 5-1. He retired Evan Gattis before Bregman's solo shot to left field got Houston within 5-2.
An RBI single by Beltran with no outs in the sixth ended Archer's night. Steve Cishek was greeted by a double from Gattis before Beltran scored on a groundout by Bregman to cut the lead to 6-4.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: OF Steven Souza Jr. was scratched from the lineup about an hour before the game because of a bruised left foot. Souza was injured on Monday night when he fouled a ball off his foot. ... CF Kevin Kiermaier, who has been on the disabled list since June 9 after fracturing his right hip, has had a setback in his rehabilitation. The outfielder has been shut down from baseball activities for the rest of the week after experiencing pain while bending down to field grounders. Cash doesn't think this is a serious problem but it will likely keep him out past Aug. 8, when he's eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list.
Astros: SS Carlos Correa resumed activity on Tuesday for the first time since tearing a ligament in his left thumb on July 17. The All-Star is expected to be out at least one more month with the injury which required surgery, but did some sprints and conditioning on Tuesday. ... Houston placed relievers Michael Feliz (right shoulder discomfort) and Tony Sipp (right calf soreness) on the 10-day DL on Tuesday. ... INF Colin Moran had surgery on Monday to repair facial fractures he suffered after fouling a ball off his face on July 22.
THEY SAID IT
Archer on Altuve, who had a rare 0-for-4 night on Tuesday: "He's tough and probably a huge component to us winning was getting him out three or four times."
UP NEXT
Rays: Austin Pruitt (5-2, 6.63 ERA) will start for Tampa on Wednesday. He allowed five hits and four runs in five innings with a career-high seven strikeouts in a 6-1 loss to the Yankees in his last start.
Astros: Dallas Keuchel (9-0, 1.94) is scheduled to start for Houston on Wednesday. The left-hander allowed six hits and three runs in three innings in a 6-5 win over the Tigers in his return after missing almost two months on the disabled list with a pinched nerve in his neck.
Tampa Bay's third baseman shrugged him off with "there's a long way to go" and went about his business.
It turns out Bregman was right, as Longoria became the second Tampa Bay player to hit for the cycle on a night he drove in three runs to lead the Rays over the Astros 6-4 on Tuesday.
"I guess he predicted it," Longoria said with a grin.
He was a double shy when he came to the plate with two outs in the ninth and laced a laser to left field. Longoria dashed to second base and slid in to avoid the tag of Jose Altuve.
He was initially ruled out, but the call was overturned after a crew chief review. Most of the Rays stood up behind the railing of the dugout and cheered as the call was reversed, and Longoria flashed a big smile knowing that he joined Melvin (then known as B.J.) Upton as the only Rays to achieve the feat.
"When I hit it I just put my head down and was running as hard as I could," Longoria said. "I actually thought the ball went to the wall. But I felt like I was safe initially and I was just hoping that the review showed that."
Manager Kevin Cash joked that Longoria looked less like a 31-year-old who has dealt with plantar fasciitis this season and more like Tampa's speedy 24-year-old outfielder Mallex Smith, who leads the team with 16 stolen bases, as he rounded first base.
"That's a pretty special day in his career," Cash said. "That's pretty awesome to be a part of that and watch that. It was impressive how he hit first base. Looked like Mallex running around."
Logan Morrison hit a solo homer and finished with two RBIs as the Rays bounced back after losing Monday's opener 14-7.
Lucas Duda singled with one out in the first before Longoria launched his towering homer, which banged on train tracks atop left field, off Mike Fiers (7-6) to make it 2-0. Morrison's 27th homer came next to make it 3-0.
Rays starter Chris Archer (8-6) allowed six hits, four runs and struck out five in 6-plus innings to get his first win since July 4 and improve to 5-2 in eight career starts against the Astros.
"He had a pretty big cushion at the beginning, which makes it tough," Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. "We battled. We had some pretty good at-bats, hit some balls hard. Chased him at the end but he's good."
Alex Colome pitched a perfect ninth for his 31st save.
Duda doubled with one out in the third before scoring on Longoria's first triple of the season to push the lead to 4-0. Longoria then scored on a two-out single by Adeiny Hechavarria.
Archer had allowed just one hit when Carlos Beltran sent a 96 mph fastball into the seats in right field with one out in the fifth to cut the lead to 5-1. He retired Evan Gattis before Bregman's solo shot to left field got Houston within 5-2.
An RBI single by Beltran with no outs in the sixth ended Archer's night. Steve Cishek was greeted by a double from Gattis before Beltran scored on a groundout by Bregman to cut the lead to 6-4.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: OF Steven Souza Jr. was scratched from the lineup about an hour before the game because of a bruised left foot. Souza was injured on Monday night when he fouled a ball off his foot. ... CF Kevin Kiermaier, who has been on the disabled list since June 9 after fracturing his right hip, has had a setback in his rehabilitation. The outfielder has been shut down from baseball activities for the rest of the week after experiencing pain while bending down to field grounders. Cash doesn't think this is a serious problem but it will likely keep him out past Aug. 8, when he's eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list.
Astros: SS Carlos Correa resumed activity on Tuesday for the first time since tearing a ligament in his left thumb on July 17. The All-Star is expected to be out at least one more month with the injury which required surgery, but did some sprints and conditioning on Tuesday. ... Houston placed relievers Michael Feliz (right shoulder discomfort) and Tony Sipp (right calf soreness) on the 10-day DL on Tuesday. ... INF Colin Moran had surgery on Monday to repair facial fractures he suffered after fouling a ball off his face on July 22.
THEY SAID IT
Archer on Altuve, who had a rare 0-for-4 night on Tuesday: "He's tough and probably a huge component to us winning was getting him out three or four times."
UP NEXT
Rays: Austin Pruitt (5-2, 6.63 ERA) will start for Tampa on Wednesday. He allowed five hits and four runs in five innings with a career-high seven strikeouts in a 6-1 loss to the Yankees in his last start.
Astros: Dallas Keuchel (9-0, 1.94) is scheduled to start for Houston on Wednesday. The left-hander allowed six hits and three runs in three innings in a 6-5 win over the Tigers in his return after missing almost two months on the disabled list with a pinched nerve in his neck.
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Tampa Bay - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Fiers pitching for Houston | TB | HOU |
| Dickerson flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Duda singled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Duda to second on wild pitch by Fiers. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria homered to left (404 feet), Duda scored. | 2 | 0 |
| Morrison homered to right (380 feet). | 3 | 0 |
| Miller popped out to second. | 3 | 0 |
| Hechavarria grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 0 |
| 3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | HOU |
| Fisher struck out swinging. | 3 | 0 |
| Altuve flied out to right. | 3 | 0 |
| Reddick lined out to center. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Mike Fiers pitching for Houston | TB | HOU |
| Bourjos flied out to left. | 3 | 0 |
| Smith grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 0 |
| Sucre struck out looking. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | HOU |
| Gurriel singled to right. | 3 | 0 |
| González struck out swinging. | 3 | 0 |
| Beltrán grounded out to first, Gurriel to second. | 3 | 0 |
| Gattis grounded out to second. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Mike Fiers pitching for Houston | TB | HOU |
| Dickerson grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 0 |
| Duda doubled to deep left. | 3 | 0 |
| Longoria tripled to right, Duda scored. | 4 | 0 |
| Morrison grounded out to second. | 4 | 0 |
| Miller walked. | 4 | 0 |
| Hechavarria singled to right, Longoria scored, Miller thrown out at third. | 5 | 0 |
| 2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | HOU |
| Bregman flied out to center. | 5 | 0 |
| Marisnick flied out to center. | 5 | 0 |
| Fisher struck out looking. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Mike Fiers pitching for Houston | TB | HOU |
| Bourjos grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 0 |
| Smith singled to shallow right. | 5 | 0 |
| Sucre singled to center, Smith to second. | 5 | 0 |
| Dickerson grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Sucre out at second. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | HOU |
| Altuve struck out looking. | 5 | 0 |
| Reddick grounded out to pitcher. | 5 | 0 |
| Gurriel grounded out to second. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Mike Fiers pitching for Houston | TB | HOU |
| Duda hit by pitch. | 5 | 0 |
| Longoria popped out to second. | 5 | 0 |
| Morrison grounded into double play, first to third to first, Duda out at second. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | HOU |
| González lined out to left. | 5 | 0 |
| Beltrán homered to right (375 feet). | 5 | 1 |
| Gattis lined out to left. | 5 | 1 |
| Bregman homered to left (342 feet). | 5 | 2 |
| Marisnick struck out swinging. | 5 | 2 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Mike Fiers pitching for Houston | TB | HOU |
| Miller walked. | 5 | 2 |
| Hechavarria sacrificed to pitcher, Miller to second. | 5 | 2 |
| Bourjos flied out to left. | 5 | 2 |
| Miller to third on wild pitch by Fiers. | 5 | 2 |
| Smith struck out looking. | 5 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | HOU |
| Fisher grounded out to second. | 5 | 2 |
| Altuve lined out to right. | 5 | 2 |
| Reddick singled to center. | 5 | 2 |
| Gurriel lined out to center. | 5 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Mike Fiers pitching for Houston | TB | HOU |
| Sucre popped out to shortstop. | 5 | 2 |
| Dickerson walked. | 5 | 2 |
| Guduan relieved Fiers. | 5 | 2 |
| Duda flied out to right. | 5 | 2 |
| Longoria singled to left, Dickerson to second. | 5 | 2 |
| Morrison singled to left, Dickerson scored, Longoria to second. | 6 | 2 |
| Miller lined out to center. | 6 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | HOU |
| González doubled to deep left. | 6 | 2 |
| Beltrán singled to center, González scored. | 6 | 3 |
| Cishek relieved Archer. | 6 | 3 |
| Gattis doubled to deep right center, Beltrán to third. | 6 | 3 |
| Bregman grounded out to first, Beltrán scored, Gattis to third. | 6 | 4 |
| Marisnick popped out to second. | 6 | 4 |
| Jennings relieved Cishek. | 6 | 4 |
| Fisher walked. | 6 | 4 |
| Hunter relieved Jennings. | 6 | 4 |
| Altuve grounded out to shortstop. | 6 | 4 |
| 2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Luke Gregerson pitching for Houston | TB | HOU |
| Gregerson relieved Guduan. | 6 | 4 |
| Hechavarria struck out swinging. | 6 | 4 |
| Bourjos singled to center. | 6 | 4 |
| Bourjos stole second. | 6 | 4 |
| Smith struck out swinging. | 6 | 4 |
| Sucre struck out swinging. | 6 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Tommy Hunter pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | HOU |
| Reddick flied out to left. | 6 | 4 |
| Gurriel popped out to shortstop. | 6 | 4 |
| González struck out looking. | 6 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Ken Giles pitching for Houston | TB | HOU |
| Giles relieved Gregerson. | 6 | 4 |
| Dickerson struck out swinging. | 6 | 4 |
| Duda struck out swinging. | 6 | 4 |
| Longoria doubled to left. | 6 | 4 |
| Morrison struck out swinging. | 6 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Alex Colome pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | HOU |
| Colomé relieved Hunter. | 6 | 4 |
| Beltrán flied out to center. | 6 | 4 |
| Gattis grounded out to shortstop. | 6 | 4 |
| Bregman grounded out to shortstop. | 6 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay Rays | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Dickerson LF | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | .299 | .345 | .533 |
| Duda 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | .375 | .500 | 1.000 |
| Longoria 3B | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | .276 | .328 | .469 |
| Morrison DH | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 23 | .248 | .362 | .536 |
| Miller 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | .200 | .344 | .325 |
| Hechavarria SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | .240 | .260 | .271 |
| Bourjos CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | .244 | .290 | .439 |
| Smith RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | .287 | .354 | .385 |
| Sucre C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | .248 | .268 | .388 |
| Totals | 35 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 149 | |||
| BATTING 2B: Duda (1, Fiers); Longoria (27, Giles) 3B: Longoria (1, Fiers) HR: Longoria (17, 1st inning off Fiers 1 on, 1 Out); Morrison (27, 1st inning off Fiers 0 on, 1 Out) RBI: Longoria 3 (65), Morrison 2 (64), Hechavarria (6) S: Hechavarria 2-out RBI: Hechavarria, Morrison GIDP: Dickerson, Morrison Rays RISP: 4-12 (Miller 0-1, Hechavarria 1-1, Dickerson 0-1, Bourjos 0-1, Smith 0-2, Morrison 1-3, Longoria 2-2, Sucre 0-1) Team LOB: 7 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING SB: Bourjos (4, 2nd base off Gregerson/Gattis) | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX |
| Attendance | 22,985 (54.6% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:27 |
| Weather | indoors |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Jeff Kellogg, First Base - Tim Timmons, Second Base - James Hoye, Third Base - Will Little |
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