Tampa Bay Rays Find Cure For Home Ills Against Astros

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Joe Rutland | Last updated May 22, 2025 1:53 PM ET

In the worst way, the Tampa Bay Rays needed to find a way to put together a couple of wins at George M. Steinbrenner Field. They did so, finishing off a series victory on Wednesday over the Houston Astros with an 8-4 win.

The Rays took the finale in impressive fashion by beating Astros staff ace Hunter Brown. Getting to Brown, who has been lights-out this season, early was on the mind of Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash before the game.

“This is probably not the guy that we want to sit there and try to drive his pitch count up,” Cash said, MLB.com reported. “If you see some pitches early on, let’s get aggressive and see if we can get some things going.”

Taking that aggressive stance proved wise words for the Rays' hitters to take to heart. Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe and Curtis Mead all hit homers off Brown (6-3) on first pitches. Yandy Diaz added a three-run homer in the eighth to help the Rays seal the victory.

YANDY DIAZ HITS ONE OF THE BATTERS EYE

Absolute shot from Yandy and he knew it off the bat. Yandy now has 7 homeruns on the year, all of them going to either center or right. pic.twitter.com/CZSRWtq1ig
— Garbage Time Rays (@garbagetimerays) May 21, 2025

Taj Bradley (4-3) went six innings for Tampa Bay, giving up only two runs. Those came on a first-inning, two-run home run by the Astros' hottest hitter, Isaac Paredes.

Paredes hit another home run in the eighth inning and Mauricio Dubon added another homer in the same inning. That made it 5-4 Rays at the time. Cash wasn't around to see the end of the game.

After Yanier Diaz was called out on a checked swing, The Associated Press reported, Astros manager Joe Espada asked for a review.

Houston claimed that the ball actually hit Diaz before he checked his swing. Cash came out and argued with the umpires, claiming that the play should not have been reviewed. The call was confirmed, though, on review. Cash was ejected after arguing the call. It was the first time Cash had been ejected this season.

The Rays now get a day off on Thursday before opening a home series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Drew Rasmussen (2-4, 2.93 ERA) gets the start for Tampa Bay.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: