Rays get walked off by Astros on 9th-inning homer after starters duel

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on May 30, 2025

Published in Baseball

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The Rays lost, 2-1, to the Astros Friday in Houston, walked off when Yainer Diaz hit a two-out homer in the ninth off reliever Garrett Cleavinger.

Tampa Bay dropped to 29-28. It had won eight of its previous nine and 13 of 19, including Thursday’s series opener.

The Rays took an early 1-0 lead. Jose Caballero, batting leadoff for the first time this season, drove lefty Framber Valdez’s second pitch of the game on a 383-foot ride over the left-field fence at 114.4 mph.

That held up until the eighth, when the Astros tied it on a throwing error by Rays second baseman Curtis Mead.

Jake Meyers opened the inning with a double to center off reliever Kevin Kelly. Zach Dezenzo followed with a grounder up the middle. Mead got to the ball but threw wide of first baseman Jonathan Aranda, allowing Meyers to score. A nifty double play by Aranda, shortstop Taylor Walls and Kelly kept the Astros from more.

Ryan Pepiot gave the Rays a second straight strong start, working into the seventh while allowing only two hits and a walk. He was lifted after allowing the second hit, a two-out single in the seventh by Christian Walker, having thrown 93 pitches.

Pepiot left with a 17 2/3-inning scoreless streak, and Kelly kept it intact.

Kelly, activated off the injured list Thursday after being sidelined since early April by a left glute strain, allowed a single, then struck out Cam Smith to end the inning.

The Rays managed only two other hits off Valdez, who went nine innings. He threw only 83 pitches, striking out nine and walking one.

Aranda reached in the fifth on an infield roller to first that either Valdez or Walker should have fielded but didn’t. Aranda was later erased on a double-play grounder by Mead.

Walls singled with one out in the ninth and Caballero walked, but Walls was thrown out at third on the front end of a potential double steal.