Four-game win streak comes to close
Bryan Rodriguez tossed a five-hit shutout, leading the El Paso Chihuahuas to a 4-0 Pacific Coast League win over the Round Rock Express on Tuesday.
Willie Calhoun made his debut with the Express (5060) after being acquired by the Texas Rangers in a trade for Yu Darvish. The second baseman went 0 for 4. He played in left field Tuesday and, despite his performance at the plate, he’s batting .294 with 23 homers, 67 RBIs and 52 extra-base hits. The 22-year-old from California batted third in the lineup.
The El Paso win prevented a sweep and halted a fourgame winning streak for the Express.
Rodriguez (5-7) struck out three and didn’t allow a walk to pick up the win.
In the third inning, El Paso (53-57) went up 1-0 on a single by Chase d’Arnaud that scored Peter Van Gansen. The Chihuahuas scored again in the fifth when d’Arnaud hit a two-run single and scored on a double by Christian Villanueva. The Chihuahuas had four extra-base hits in the game.
Round Rock’s James Dykstra (1-6) went five innings, allowing four runs and seven hits. He struck out three and walked two. After he exited, the Express bullpen allowed just one more hit.
The Express were held scoreless for the seventh time this season, while the Chihuahuas recorded their fourth shutout.
Jared Hoying had two hits, doubled and stole a base for the Express.
As Evan Longoria stood at third base after a triple in the third inning following his first-inning homer, Houston’s Alex Bregman suggested that he might be on his way to hitting for the cycle after getting the two toughest hits early. Tampa Bay’s third baseman shrugged him off with “there’s a long way to go” and went about his business.
It turns out Bregman was right. Longoria became the second Tampa Bay player to hit for the cycle on a night he drove in three runs to lead the Rays over the Astros 6-4.
He was a double shy before he came to the plate with two outs in the ninth and laced a laser to left field. Longoria dashed to second base and slid in to avoid the tag. He was initially ruled out, but the call was overturned after a crew chief review. Longoria joined Melvin (then known as B.J.) Upton as the only Rays to achieve the cycle.
“When I hit it I just put my head down and was running as hard as I could,” Longoria said. “I felt like I was safe initially and I was just hoping that the review showed that.”
Logan Morrison hit a solo homer and had two RBIs as the Rays bounced back after losing Monday’s opener 14-7. Lucas Duda singled with one out in the first before Longoria launched his towering homer off Mike Fiers (7-6) to make it 2-0. Morrison’s 27th homer came next to make it 3-0.
Rays starter Chris Archer (8-6) allowed six hits, four runs and struck out five in 6-plus innings to get his first win since July 4 and improve to 5-2 in eight career starts against the Astros. “He had a pretty big cushion at the beginning, which makes it tough,” Houston manager A.J. Hinch said.
Alex Colome pitched a perfect ninth for his 31st save.
Duda doubled in the third before scoring on Longoria’s first triple of the season to push the lead to 4-0. Longoria then scored on a two-out single by Adeiny Hechavarria.
Archer had allowed just one hit when Carlos Beltran sent a 96 mph fastball into the seats in right field with one out in the fifth to cut the lead to 5-1. He retired Evan Gattis before Bregman’s solo shot to left field got Houston within 5-2.
An RBI single by Beltran with no outs in the sixth ended Archer’s night. Steve Cishek was greeted by a double from Gattis before Beltran scored on a groundout by Bregman to cut the lead to 6-4.