Rays outlast Astros in pitcher's duel for ninth straight win

Field Level Media|published: Fri 3rd July, 22:57 2026

Jul 3, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Ben Williamson (15) tags out Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) during the fourth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Junior Caminero smacked his 10th home run over his last 10 games and Nick Fortes added a pair of run-scoring extra-base hits as the visiting Tampa Bay Rays extended their winning streak to nine games with a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday.

Caminero, the American League Player of the Month in June, snapped a 1-1 deadlock with his 25th home run in the top of the seventh inning, a solo shot off Astros reliever Steven Okert (1-1). Fortes homered in the sixth and added an RBI double with two outs in the eighth.

Three Tampa Bay relievers combined to work 3 2/3 perfect innings. Bryan Baker notched his 23rd save while Kevin Kelly (5-3) earned the victory in relief.

Rays right-hander Nick Martinez and his Houston counterpart, right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, were locked into a duel before Fortes helped the Rays break through in the sixth.

Martinez did not allow a hit until Cam Smith stroked a one-out single to right in the fourth. Martinez hit Isaac Paredes with a pitch in the first inning and Jake Meyers reached on a Caminero fielding error leading off the third, and they represented the lone runners to reach before Christian Walker worked a walk against Martinez ahead of the Smith single.

Smith ran the Astros out of the inning when he attempted to tag from first on a Taylor Trammell fly out to center field. Cedric Mullins threw out Smith as he slid into second to close the frame.

Arrighetti rebounded from a ragged month of June by working six quality innings. He carried a shutout into the sixth before Fortes crushed his second home run out to left-center with two outs in that frame.

Martinez quickly surrendered that lead when Yordan Alvarez bashed a 2-2 sinker into the home bullpen in right-center, a 427-foot blast that knotted the score on his 27th homer of the season.

Martinez departed after surrendering an infield single to Paredes. He allowed one run on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings.

Arrighetti allowed one run on two hits and one walk with four strikeouts. He finished 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA in five starts last month.

--Field Level Media

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