Ian Seymour answered an early home run with a long stretch of zeroes. The Rays left-hander struck out 10 over six innings Saturday night in St. Petersburg, and Tampa Bay held on for a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros that widened the club's AL East lead.
Per ESPN's box score, Seymour allowed four hits, two runs and one walk in six innings. ESPN's box matches that line. He left with a no-decision after Houston tied it in the sixth, the Associated Press reported.
Sixteen in a row after the first-pitch problem
Former Ray Isaac Paredes homered on the game's fifth pitch to put Houston ahead 1-0. Seymour then retired 16 batters in a row until Jose Altuve doubled in the sixth. Altuve scored the tying run on Yainer Diaz's single.
By then Tampa Bay had already grabbed the lead. Victor Mesa Jr. and Chandler Simpson reached in the fifth, and Richie Palacios singled home both for a 2-1 Rays edge before Houston knotted it.
The seventh decides it
Liam Hicks led off the seventh with a double. Manager Kevin Cash pinch-ran Kenny Piper, Simpson moved Piper to third, and Nick Madrigal's sacrifice fly off Bennett Sousa scored the go-ahead run, the AP reported.
Tyler Wells, Ty Johnson and Bryan Baker finished the game. Baker recorded the final four outs for his majors-leading 40th save and extended a 29-save conversion streak, per the AP. Mesa sealed the last out with a leaping catch at the wall against Taylor Trammell.
