Josh Lowe homers twice in the Rays' 6-1 victory over the Astros

HOUSTON (AP) — Josh Lowe homered twice to help the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Houston Astros 6-1 on Saturday night.

Lowe hit his sixth and seventh homers of the season for his second career multi-homer game. His first came off Ronel Blanco, who was a pitch away from escaping the fifth inning with a shutout intact until Lowe turned a 91-mph fastball down the middle 373 feet to right.

Rays starter Zack Littell (5-7) allowed one run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He had one walk and one strikeout.

Blanco (9-6) was pulled after the fifth. He allowed two runs, six hits and two walks and struck out seven.

In the seventh, Lowe hit an opposite-field shot that sailed 339 feet into the left-field Crawford Boxes to make it 4-1.

Lowe added a double in the third and a single in the ninth to go 4 for 5 for the first four-hit game of his career.

Yandy Diaz led off the seventh with a 344-foot homer off Astros reliever Tayler Scott for Tampa Bay’s third run, and Brandon Lowe had a two-run single in the ninth to put the Rays up 6-1.

Littell’s only big mistake came on an 87-mph slider in the second inning that Jon Singleton hit over the the glove of a leaping Lowe. It was Singleton’s ninth homer of the year.

Astros outfielder Pedro León hit his first major league down the left-field line in the third inning but was thrown out at second trying to stretch it to a double.

Reliever Caleb Ferguson — acquired from the Yankees on Tuesday — allowed four hits and two runs in a two-inning Houston debut.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rays: CF José Siri made a sensational diving catch in the third inning that had him on the ground for a while afterward. Siri appeared to land awkwardly on the dive and was later hunched over, seemingly in pain. He remained in the game.

Astros: RF Kyle Tucker (shin contusion) is making progress, but manager Joe Espada wouldn’t commit to saying the All-Star would be back by the end of August, only that, “it’s a possibility.” … P Luis Garcia could resume playing catch soon as he slowly works his way back from Tommy John surgery.

UP NEXT

Astros RHP Spencer Arrighetti (4-9, 5.58) was set to start Sunday. The Rays had not announced a starter.

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