Tampa Bay Rays clinch wild-card spot; Houston Astros safe home-field edge regardless of loss

HOUSTON — The Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros each had causes to love how issues turned out Friday night time.

Drew Rasmussen and the Rays have been the one ones celebrating, nonetheless.

Rasmussen pitched seven efficient innings, and the Rays clinched a playoff spot for the fourth straight season, posing on the sphere for a group image after beating Houston 7-3. Regardless of the loss, the Astros wound up with home-field benefit all through the AL playoffs.

The Rays (86-71) started the day within the third and last AL wild-card slot, trailing Toronto and Seattle.

Tampa Bay prolonged the longest postseason streak in franchise historical past and earned a playoff spot for the eighth time, all since 2008. The Rays have by no means gained the World Collection.

“They’ve withstood some dangerous information and a few dangerous performances, however they’ve come out on high with some actually good performances to remain afloat right here,” Rays supervisor Kevin Money stated. “It appears like proper now, we’re coming into our personal just a little bit. These guys are nonetheless younger, and we’re getting a style of some actually cool stuff.”

Houston (102-55) was assured home-field benefit all through the AL playoffs when the New York Yankees misplaced earlier within the day. Solely the Los Angeles Dodgers have a greater file than the Astros.

“It is laborious to have a good time if you really feel the ache of shedding,” Astros supervisor Dusty Baker stated. “We’ll fear about that later.”

Rasmussen (11-7) held Houston to 2 runs and 5 hits in seven innings. He entered Friday using a three-game shedding streak, the longest of his profession.

“I had a extremely dangerous outing in opposition to these guys the opposite day, so to have the ability to come again and assault the strike zone like I understand how to and get fast outs and permit the protection to play was completely unimaginable,” Rasmussen stated. “There’s numerous pleasure going into the postseason now, and we’re formally in.”

Yandy Díaz doubled and singled twice, driving in two runs and scoring two. Taylor Walls homered and scored twice for the Rays.

Tampa Bay scored thrice within the sixth, taking a 6-2 lead and chasing Framber Valdez (16-6).

Valdez, who noticed his MLB-record streak of 25 consecutive high quality begins snapped in his earlier begin, had a second consecutive tough outing. In 5 1/3 innings, he allowed six runs, 9 hits and three walks.

Valdez has been tagged for 10 runs in his final two begins after permitting simply eight runs in the whole month of August.

“He did not have his breaking ball tonight an excessive amount of,” Baker stated. “He truly threw extra fastballs than he threw breaking balls. No, I haven’t got any considerations for Framber. Framber is okay.”

Former Astro Jose Siri hit an RBI double, and Díaz doubled dwelling Siri and Partitions to interrupt it open.

Partitions homered within the eighth, his eighth of the season.

The Rays are 4-0 all-time in postseason play as a wild-card group. They gained the 2013 wild-card recreation in Cleveland and 2019 wild-card recreation in Oakland, and in addition swept a 2020 wild-card sequence in opposition to Toronto.

The Related Press contributed to this report.