The Houston Astros' four-game winning streak came to a hard end with an 8-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. The Rays, who are still undefeated at home this season, overcame an early 3-2 deficit by roughing up Astros starter Jose Urquidy with a four-run third inning.
Urquidy lasted just 2-2/3 innings after allowing Tampa Bay six earned runs on seven hits while issuing two walks and striking out three. His ERA rose from 3.66 to 5.64 after the disastrous outing.
The Houston Astros were looking good early but fell prey to a Tampa Bay Rays team still playing at the top of its game. Astros fans are getting tired of seeing what they see as Urquidy's continuing failures in "big-game" situations.
The Rays are in some rarefied air with the team's sizzling start. Tampa Bay, now 20-3, and their 14 straight victories at Tropicana Field hold the second-longest home win streak to start a season, breaking a tie with the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers. Now in sight for the Rays is the all-time mark of 15 straight home wins to start a season, set by the 1907 New York Giants.
One thing the Rays did not do was hit a home run against Urquidy or the three relievers that followed him. Monday's homer-less contest ended Tampa Bay's streak of 22 consecutive games with a round-tripper to open a season, an MLB record.
The Houston Astros have been 7-3 over their past 10 games entering Monday. The team was on a roll after taking 2-of-3 against the Toronto Blue Jays at home and sweeping the Atlanta Braves on their own turf at Truist Park.
However, the resounding loss in the series opener at Tampa Bay has some fans feeling crestfallen, and others ready to lash out at the quality of the Rays team that just thumped them.
A popular refrain during the Tampa Bay Rays' 13-game winning streak was that they didn't play "a real team" and that the run was comprised of wins over bottom-feeding teams such as the Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and Oakland Athletics.
Rays fans aren't forgetting the sentiment as their team is proving its mettle against tougher competition. A few rubbed salt in the wound for the Houston Astros, adding the defending 2022 World Series champions to the list of "not real" teams that Tampa Bay has now defeated.
Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays play twice more
The Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays play twice more in this series, taking the field at 5:40 p.m., both Tuesday and Wednesday night.