Jose Altuve upped the pressure on Alex Bregman as he walked to home plate with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth.
“Altuve told me ... that he’s not bringing his bat or batting gloves to the on-deck circle, so I better get the job done,” Bregman said. “So I had to find a way.”
Bregman on Monday hit a game-ending two-run double as the Houston Astros beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 to match a franchise record with their 12th straight win.
Photo: AP
Houston trailed 4-0 after three innings, but cut the lead to one entering the ninth.
Sergio Romo (1-2) walked Marwin Gonzalez to start the ninth, then allowed a single to Max Stassi.
Tony Kemp’s sacrifice bunt moved both runners up and Houston loaded the bases when George Springer reached on interference by catcher Wilson Ramos.
Bregman then drove a ball that bounced off the wall in left-center. He lifted both arms as he trotted into second base and his teammates mobbed him in the infield.
It was Houston’s second game-ending hit of the season and the other also came off Bregman’s bat on April 7 against San Diego.
Bregman also walked off Houston with a single in Game 5 of the World Series last season.
“You do it as often as Alex has done it, we know it’s going to be a good at-bat,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “Whether it ends in our favor or not is baseball, but he’s a guy we want up there.”
Romo declined to speak to reporters after the game, but Rays manager Kevin Cash discussed his work.
“He’s the guy who’s been out there and got the experience,” Cash said. “He’s done it here as of late. It lined up right — it just didn’t work.”
Collin McHugh (2-0) struck out two in a scoreless ninth for the win on a night Gerrit Cole walked a career-high five to help the Rays build the early lead.
“The only thing that matters to these guys is winning,” Bregman said.
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