Postseason-bound Rays beat the Astros 3-2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Richie Palacios had a two-run single in fifth, Ian Seymour threw six strong innings and Nick Madrigal had a clutch sacrifice fly to help the postseason-bound Tampa Bay Rays beat the Houston Astros 3-2 on Saturday night.

All-Star Bryan Baker got the final four outs for his majors-leading 40th save. He has converted 29 consecutive opportunities, the longest active streak in the majors. Baker helped the Rays improve their AL East lead to four games with 14 games remaining.

Victor Mesa Jr. singled and scored in the fifth, when Palacios drove in the tying and go-ahead runs off Houston starter Peter Lambert (8-9). Mesa secured the game’s final out with a leaping grab against the right-field wall to retire Taylor Trammell.

Yainer Diaz had three hits and an RBI for the AL West-leading Astros.

The attention-to-detail Rays won in the seventh by methodically snapping a 2-2 tie. Liam Hicks led off with a double before manager Kevin Cash removed him for pinch-runner Kenny Piper. After Chandler Simpon moved Piper to third, Cash called on Madrigal.

Then, Madrigal’s sacrifice fly off Astros reliever Bennett Sousa drove in Piper with the go-ahead run.

Seymour shrugged off a first-inning solo homer by former Rays infielder Isaac Paredes on the game’s fifth pitch. The Rays left-hander retired 16 in a row until Jose Altuve’s sixth-inning double. Altuve then scored the tying run on a Diaz single.

Seymour pitched six innings, allowing four hits, two runs and one walk with 10 strikeouts but got a no-decision. Tyler Wells (5-2), Ty Johnson and Baker combined to one-hit the Astros over the final three frames.

AL MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez (right ankle soreness) missed a second straight game for Houston.

Houston RHP Hayden Wesneski (5-1, 3.35 ERA) was set set start Sunday opposite RHP Freddy Peralta (8-1, 4.82).

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here