*Photo from Bleacher Report*
Tampa Bay leads series 1-0
This is Randy Arozarena's postseason. He has proven that. Arozarena homered again, Blake Snell outdueled Framber Valdez, and the Tampa Bay Rays edged out the Houston Astros for a 2-1 win in game one of the best of 7 ALCS. The Rays also got a big performance from Diego Castillo, pitching his 4th game in the last 6 days, a testament to the hard work the bullpen has been putting in all season long.
The Astros got the scoring started quickly, as Jose Altuve hit a solo homer to left field, putting Houston up 1-0 early on. Arozarena tied it in the 4th inning with a solo homer to center field, making it a 1-1 game. In the 5th, the Rays took a 2-1 lead on an RBI single from Mike Zunino, which capped off the scoring.
Snell got the win for the Rays, throwing 5 innings in a good performance. Snell allowed one run on 6 hits and two walks, striking out two hitters. John Curtiss came in following Snell, allowing one hit and one walk, but no runs. Aaron Loup also made his first relief appearance in 12 days for the Rays, getting only one out. Ryan Thompson also posted a scoreless inning, and Castillo went 1 2/3 innings at the end of the game to get the save.
The Rays bullpen has seemingly been the unsung heroes of the team in their playoff run, but not to Snell. He said after the game that of their performance that "It’s impressive, they step up, they stand out. They’re very talented. They’re very good at what they do, and it’s just a lot of them. You have to credit the front office for what they bring in. These guys in the bullpen just keep getting better."
Valdez got the loss for the Astros, throwing 6 innings of solid ball despite the loss. Valdez allowed two runs on 4 hits and 4 walks, striking out 8 Rays hitters. Blake Taylor started the 7th for the Astros, getting just one out, forcing Enoli Paredes to come on and finish the inning, escaping a jam in the process. Brooks Raley was the final reliever to throw, pitching a scoreless 8th inning.
Despite a very solid outing, Valdez had a couple mistakes, one of which was the solo homer by Arozarena. Valdez said of the location of his pitch that "That was where I wanted to execute the pitch, in the upper corner up there, but he executed as well. I mean, he’s getting hits a lot lately, and put a good swing on it and he executed."
The series continues Monday, where Charlie Morton squares off against Lance McCullers Jr.
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