Houston Chronicle

Correa’s 13th-inning hit seals win for Astros

With single delivering latest walkoff victory, Correa builds his rep

- EVAN DRELLICH

The greatest young talent at Minute Maid Park and maybe anywhere homered in the first inning. Four-plus hours later, he ended a budding marathon with a single through the right side, the second straight walkoff for the Astros against the Rays. Carlos Correa’s two-out single in the 13th inning sealed a 3-2 win that made good on a tremendous effort from the Astros bullpen in the second-longest game the team has played by innings this season.

“I feel more happy because Carlos was the guy,” said Jose Altuve, who was on second base at the time of the winning hit. “He’s just good. What can I say? He’s the best player in the world.”

Matt Andriese, a righthande­r in his second inning of work, gave up the winner as Colby Rasmus scored from third base. Rasmus’ one-out walk started the rally and was followed by an Altuve ground-ball single.

With Rasmus running, there was a huge hole on the left side as Rasmus scampered to third.

“As soon as I hit it, it was like, ‘Oh my god (it will be an out),’ ” Altuve said. “But then I saw the shortstop moving that way, I said, ‘Oh yes, I got it.’ I didn’t hit it that hard and I knew that Colby’d have a good chance to go to third.” ‘Ready to step up’

Marwin Gonzalez, who ended the previous night’s game with a home run, struck out looking and was angry with the call before Correa batted.

“Wow, that was huge,” said catcher Hank Conger, who caught all 13 innings. “I mean when Marwin came up in that spot, I was like, ‘Holy cow, he’s going to do it again.’ I think that’s just our team concept, if the guy’s not going to do it in front of you, the next guy’s there and ready to step up. … Back-to-back walk-offs, you can’t ask for anything better.”

The Astros bullpen was down to one man, Tony Sipp, with starter Mike Fiers already seated out there in case he was needed. The six relievers who were used — Chad Qualls, Pat Neshek, Luke Gregerson, Will Harris, Oliver Perez and Josh Fields — combined for six shutout innings, nine strikeouts, three hits and no walks.

The Astros have taken two of three with one game left in the four-game set.

The third successful Astros challenge of the night eliminated a leadoff Rays single in the 13th as Perez won a footrace to first. The Astros are 21for-36 in challenges this season, per the team, and were 3-for-3 Wednesday.

Perez worked around a leadoff double in the 12th, striking out Rene Rivera swinging on a breaking ball and exiting the mound with a fist pump.

“Qualls made a really good outing, struck out three guys,” Perez said. “We were just trying to be careful every pitch and understand the situation.” Boxberger struggles

Nine straight Astros had been retired when Luis Valbuena lined one to left field with two out in the 12th, a hit that went for naught when he was thrown out by Desmond Jennings attempting to stretch a double where there was none.

Rays closer Brad Boxberger, who has allowed more walkoffs than any other this season, was fallible again Wednesday as the Astros tied at 2 in the ninth after starting the inning down 2-1, but he didn’t send his team directly to the hotel. Jed Lowrie’s leadoff bloop double to left field turned even better for the Astros when Boxberger unleashed a wild pitch with Preston Tucker at the plate, moving Lowrie to third as the potential tying run with none out.

Evan Gattis came through with a tying single up the middle two batters later. The lumberjack didn’t strike with all his might, but the knock had plenty to make it past a drawn-in infield.

A night earlier in a 3-2 Astros win, Boxberger piped Gonzalez’s gamewinnin­g homer in the 10th, the sixth walkoff he’s allowed this season, tops in the majors. This time, he helped send the Astros to their third extra-innings contest in five games. Keuchel avoids loss

Entering the ninth, the Rays had led 2-1 since they scored a pair in the top of the seventh off ace Dallas Keuchel, who was taken off the hook for his first loss at home this season. (He remains 11-0 and has a 1.35 ERA at home in 14 starts.)

Correa’s 15th homer of the season in the first inning, a solo shot to the Crawford Boxes off Rays starter Nate Karns, looked like it might stand as the game’s only run as Keuchel dealt through the middle innings.

Still protecting that 1-0 lead, trouble brewed for Keuchel with the first batter of the seventh, cleanup hitter Logan Forsythe, who singled.

Ahead of the hit, a foul pop of Forsythe’s outside of first base was not caught near the green padded railing as a fan reached for the ball. That led to boos when Forsythe came home to tie the game at 1 on Tim Beckham’s triple to the right-center gap two batters later.

A one-out sac fly from the Houston native James Loney brought home Beckham from third with the go-ahead run. Tucker’s throw home from right field sneaked up the line and carried a tough bounce for catcher Hank Conger, who didn’t snag the throw on a night when he became the third player in Astros history to strike out five times in a game. J.D Martinez did it in 2013, and Preston Wilson in 2006.

 ?? Karen Warren photos / Houston Chronicle ?? Shortstop Carlos Correa gave the Astros plenty to celebrate with a single to drive in the winning run in the 13th inning Wednesday as the Tampa Bay Rays fell 3-2 at Minute Maid Park.
Karen Warren photos / Houston Chronicle Shortstop Carlos Correa gave the Astros plenty to celebrate with a single to drive in the winning run in the 13th inning Wednesday as the Tampa Bay Rays fell 3-2 at Minute Maid Park.
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 ?? Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ?? Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, right, celebrates his first-inning homer with Jose Altuve long before the two would celebrate Correa’s second big hit
Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, right, celebrates his first-inning homer with Jose Altuve long before the two would celebrate Correa’s second big hit

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