Junior Caminero homers twice, as Rays blowout Astros
May 31 - Junior Caminero posted four extra-base hits, and the Tampa Bay Rays pounded the Houston Astros' bullpen for the second time in three games en route to a 16-3 road win on Saturday.
After recording a career-high six RBIs in the opener of this four-game series on Thursday, Caminero went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two home runs for his first four-hit and multi-homer game. Caminero had five RBIs; he is 16-for-37 with 12 extra-base hits and 17 RBIs over his last nine games. He had plenty of help up and down the Rays' lineup on Saturday.
The Rays bashed five home runs, including three against an Astros bullpen that surrendered 11 runs on Thursday. Caminero drilled a three-run homer off Astros reliever Forrest Whitley in the top of the eighth inning. He doubled and scored when Jake Mangum smacked his first home run in the seventh, a two-run shot off Astros reliever Kaleb Ort, who allowed four extra-base hits before issuing a walk to Curtis Mead that yielded a pitching change with one out in the frame.
Josh Lowe greeted Astros reliever Steven Okert with a line-drive, two-run shot to right field, his third home run capping a six-run frame that extended the Rays' lead to 11-3. Ort allowed five runs on four hits and one walk while recording one out as the Rays capitalized one inning after recording four consecutive hits against Astros reliever Shawn Dubin, yet scored only one run.
Mangum singled home Caminero in the sixth after Caminero opened that inning with a double. Caminero gave the Rays a 4-3 lead with his leadoff home run in the fourth, his 12th this season.
Yandy Diaz, who smacked his eighth homer, a two-run shot off Astros starter Colton Gordon (0-1) in the third, went 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Lowe went 3-for-4 and scored three runs, as did Rays leadoff hitter Jose Caballero, who finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Tampa Bay had 18 hits.
Rays right-hander Zack Littell (5-5) was the beneficiary of the run support. He allowed a leadoff homer to Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena in the first, and Pena added a two-run shot off Littell in the third for his ninth homer and second career multi-homer game. But Littell stranded the bases loaded in the ninth inning for his first complete game, tossing 117 pitches.
--Field Level Media
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