Jonathan Aranda homered twice with three RBIs, starter Freddy Peralta twirled five no-hit innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays completed their majors-best 15th series sweep Sunday by pummeling the Houston Astros 14-4 in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Falling a homer shy of the cycle, Victor Mesa Jr. was 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs. Richie Palacios was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and scored twice, while Nick Fortes went deep for American League East-leading Tampa Bay (90-59).
The Rays posted 15 hits and were 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Winning his fourth straight start, Peralta (9-11) fanned four and walked three in his five innings. He left with the Rays up 11-0.
Isaac Paredes, Nick Allen and Nelson Velazquez homered for the Astros (75-75), who had only four hits and are 2-6 in the past eight games.
In a season-shortest start of three innings, Hayden Wesneski (5-2) surrendered seven runs on six hits, but four markers were unearned. He struck out two and walked two.
Batting cleanup in the first inning, Mesa extended his hitting streak to nine games with a triple to right to score Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero, who had singled and doubled, respectively. Chandler Simpson’s groundout made it 3-0.
Peralta walked the bases loaded in the third, and Paredes hit a hard grounder that was fielded by Caminero. The third baseman took a couple of steps into foul territory and bounced a throw that first baseman Aranda awkwardly secured for the final out.
The Rays made it 7-0 with four unearned runs in the third after a crucial two-out error by Houston shortstop Jeremy Pena, who dropped an easy, shallow popup as he jogged out to left field to score Mesa.
Palacios followed with a high three-run homer to right for his 10th long ball and the touchdown lead.
Aranda made it 8-0 in the fourth with an opposite-field solo shot, and Simpson’s RBI single scored Mesa for his third run.
In the fifth, Fortes drilled a two-run shot, his fifth, as the home side pulled ahead 11-0.
Paredes spoiled the no-hit bid with a one-out homer to left, his 21st, in the sixth.
Diaz (2-for-5, two runs, RBI) singled in Palacios in the seventh before Aranda hit homer No. 21.
Allen and Velazquez rounded out the scoring by stroking homers in the eighth.
–Field Level Media
